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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2020)
A5 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 GOP defends Trump as Bolton book adds pressure By ERIC TUCKER, ZEKE MILLER and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON — Sen- ators faced mounting pres- sure Monday to summon John Bolton to testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial even as Trump’s lawyers brushed past extraordinary new alle- gations from Trump’s for- mer national security adviser and focused instead on dis- puted facts and historical arguments for acquittal. Outside the Senate cham- ber, Republicans grappled with claims in a forthcom- ing book from Bolton that undercut a key defense argu- ment — that Trump never tied withholding military aid to Ukraine to his demand that the country help inves- tigate political rival Joe Biden. In the trial itself, Trump’s attorneys declared anew that no witness has testi- fi ed to direct knowledge that Trump’s delivery of aid was contingent on investiga- tions into Democrats though Bolton appeared poised to say exactly that if sum- moned by the Senate. “We deal with transcript evidence, we deal with pub- licly available information,” attorney Jay Sekulow said. “We do not deal with spec- ulation, allegations that are not based on evidentiary standards at all.” The legal team took turns decrying the impeachment, which accuses Trump of abusing his power by ask- ing Ukraine’s leader to help investigate Biden at the same time he was ordering that millions of dollars in aid be withheld — and then of obstructing Congress in its probe. Michael Purpura, a dep- uty White House coun- sel, argued that Trump had legitimate reason to be con- cerned about corruption in Ukraine and, in any event, Senate Television Ken Starr, an attorney for President Donald Trump, speaks during the impeachment trial against Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol Monday. ultimately released the aid without the country com- mitting to investigations the president wanted. Demo- crats say Trump did so only after a whistleblower sub- mitted a complaint about the episode. Ken Starr, whose inde- pendent counsel investi- gation into President Bill Clinton resulted in his impeachment — Clinton was acquitted by the Senate — bemoaned what he said was an “age of impeach- ment.” Impeachment, he said, requires both an actual crime and a “genuine national consensus” that the president must go. Neither exists here, Starr said. Impeachment “is fi lled with acrimony and it divides the country like nothing else,” Starr said. “Those of us who lived through the Clinton impeachment under- stand that in a deep and per- sonal way.” The lawyers also defended the actions of Rudy Giuliani, the pres- ident’s personal lawyer whose efforts pressing for the Biden investigation helped lead to the fi ring of the American ambassador to Ukraine. Even as defense law- yers laid out their case as planned, it was clear that Bolton’s book had scram- bled the debate over whether to seek witnesses. Bolton writes that Trump told him he wanted to withhold secu- rity aid from Ukraine until it helped him with investi- gations into Biden. Trump’s legal team has repeatedly insisted otherwise, and Trump tweeted on Monday that he never told Bolton such a thing. Republican senators face a pivotal moment, and pres- sure is mounting for at least four to buck GOP leaders and form a bipartisan major- ity to force the issue. Repub- licans hold a 53-47 majority. “John Bolton’s relevance to our decision has become increasingly clear,” GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told reporters. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she has always wanted “the opportu- nity for witnesses” and the report about Bolton’s book “strengthens the case.” Senator Majority Leader McConnell appeared unmoved, telling Republi- cans at a closed lunch Mon- day they would take stock after the defense team con- cludes arguments. “His message is what has been all along: Let’s get through the next step,” said Indiana GOP Sen. Mike Braun exiting the lunch. “That was it. Take a deep breath, and let’s take one step at a time.” Once the president’s team wraps its arguments no later than Tuesday, senators have 16 hours for questions to both sides. By late in the week, they are expected to hold a vote on whether or not to hear from any other witnesses. Republicans said if Bolton is called they will demand reciprocation, which could mean trying to call Biden and his son, who was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Trump’s team laid out the broad outlines of its defense in a rare Saturday session, at which they accused House Democrats of using the impeachment case to try to undo the results of the last presidential election and drive Trump from offi ce. Democrats, meanwhile, say Trump’s refusal to allow administration offi cials to testify in the impeachment proceeding only reinforces that the White House is hid- ing evidence. The White House has had Bolton’s manuscript for about a month, according to a letter from Bolton’s attorney. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: “We’re all staring a White House cover-up in the face.” Rep. Adam Schiff, who leads the House prosecu- tion team, called Bolton’s account a test for the sena- tors sitting as jurors. “I don’t know how you can explain that you wanted a search for the truth in this trial and say you don’t want to hear from a witness who had a direct conversation about the central allegation in the articles of impeach- ment,” Schiff said on CNN. Bolton’s account was fi rst reported by The New York Times and was confi rmed to t he Associated Press by a person familiar with the manuscript on the condi- tion of anonymity. “The Room Where It Happened; A White House Memoir” is to be released March 17. Trump denied Bolton’s claims in tweets early Monday. “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” Trump said. “If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.” Trump said people could look at transcripts of his call with Ukrainian Presi- dent Volodymyr Zelinskiy to see there was no pressure for such investigations to get the aid. In that call, Trump asked Zelinskiy to “do us a favor” with the investiga- tions as he was withholding nearly $400 million in mil- itary aid to the U.S. ally at war with Russia. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
