Mitch McConnell says he doesn’t yet have the votes to block witnesses
Rep. Adam Schiff, one of the seven House impeachment managers, called on Republican senators to bring in former national security adviser John Bolton and other witnesses to testify.
He also questioned the idea of a closed-door deposition with Bolton.
“After all the complaints they made about the depositions, it’s very ironic that they’re making such a strong case for a deposition here,” Schiff said.
He said a witness-for-witness arrangement with Senate Republicans isn’t a game they are interested in. Some Senate Republicans have said they want to hear Schiff testify about his team’s interactions with the whistleblower.
“I can tell you what my testimony is: He’s guilty, and he should be impeached,” the California Democrat said.
Asked about the House not subpoenaing Bolton during the impeachment inquiry, Schiff said, “It was very clear that John Bolton would tie us up in court for months or years.” He wouldn’t answer if the House would subpoena Bolton in the case that the Senate doesn’t.
“I’m not going to discuss what backup, fall-back position there is,” he said, arguing that nothing but a Senate trial with witnesses would be sufficient.
“The question is, with the conduct that egregious, are we prepared to say that we will simply have to accept that in this President and future presidents, that we will have to accept the idea that a president can so blatantly sacrifice the national security of this country in order to get help cheating in the next election,” Schiff said.
