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A DRAFT OF a book from former US national security adviser John Bolton appears to undercut a key defence argument in the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump.
Bolton writes in the forthcoming book that Trump told him that he wanted to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid from Ukraine until it helped him with politically charged investigations, including into Democratic rival Joe Biden.
Trump’s legal team has repeatedly insisted that the president never tied the suspension of military assistance to the country to investigations that he wanted into Biden and his son.
The account immediately gave Democrats new fuel in their pursuit of sworn evidence from Bolton and other witnesses, a question expected to be taken up later this week by the Republican-led Senate.
The trial resumes this afternoon with arguments from Trump’s defence team.
Bolton’s account was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the manuscript of the book entitled The Room Where It Happened; A White House Memoir, ahead of its release on 17 March.
When the report went online last night, the seven House Democratic managers immediately called on all senators to insist that Bolton be called as a witness and provide his notes and other relevant documents.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, issued the same call. Trump denied the claims in a series of tweets.
“I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” he tweeted.
“In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.”
Donald J. Trump / Twitter
Donald J. Trump / Twitter / Twitter
Trump said people could look at transcripts of his call, and statements by Ukraine President Vlodymyr Zelinskiy that there was no pressure for such investigations to get the aid.
Bolton, who acrimoniously left the White House a day before Trump ultimately released the Ukraine aid on 11 September, has already told members of Congress that he is willing to give evidence, despite the president’s order barring aides from co-operating in the probe.
“Americans know that a fair trial must include both the documents and witnesses blocked by the President – that starts with Mr Bolton,” the impeachment managers said in a statement.
First, though, Trump’s legal team will begin laying out its case in depth, turning to several high-profile lawyers to argue against impeachment.
The lawyers revealed the broad outlines of their defence in a rare but truncated Saturday session, where they accused House Democrats of using the impeachment case to try to undo the results of the last presidential election and drive Trump from office.
The legal team is expected to pick up on that theme and also dive into areas that received negligible attention during the Democrats’ presentation, including the now-concluded investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign.
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Wow that seems massively important. I’m sure the Republicans in the Senate won’t block such testimony… Oh, they already have plans to stop him testifying. Can we try turning off the US and turning it back on again?
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: They need a good reboot up the hole.
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: “Donald Trump is taking a long time to respond. Ctrl, alt, del: task manager, force quit.
@Ciarán Ó Fallúin: Won’t make any difference; they’re on Windows Vista.
And they complain about other countries being bat shi- crazy. These lads are the creme de la creme of nut jobs. To think half of that country believe trump. Its Americans who should be on the no fly list.
@JoeJoe: Surely an invasion of the USA in the name of freedom and democracy is more than warranted by their own standards. To liberate its people from lies and corruption of a broken system in which they are slaves to the untouchable elite of rich industrialists. What was that Trump called them countries? $h1tholes?
@JoeJoe: Or just let them all fly Boeing only
@RobPup: Be a waste of time, you liberate brainwashed numpties who believe in the cause
Hey didn’t Biden pull the same stunt in Ukraine. He wouldn’t release any aid money untill the guy prosecuting he son got fired… he admitted it in a interview done at a university
@great gael of Eire: eh no that’s not what happened at all with Biden at all – i can understand you confusing the two – but somehow cant help but think you are deliberately trying to deflect from the wrongs of Trump by saying biden biden biden much like it’s Obama Obama Obama or Clinton Clinton Clinton – always the same ol deflection nonsense.
@great gael of Eire: Sshhh stop, that dosen’t matter. Obama’s instructions are sanctimonious. Bolton’s memoirs published Comey’s publisher and conveniently passed on to the New York Times is all the matters.
@great gael of Eire: nope not what happened at all but that that’ll stop ya repeating it of course
@Dave Hammond: Can you please elaborate, I seen the video and that’s exactly what it looks like to me.
@great gael of Eire: Yeah, cool story bro…
@great gael of Eire:
Is this what you have in mind? https://www.rt.com/news/478817-biden-oust-ukrainian-prosecutor-documentary-berruyer/
@Dave Thomas: Ok Ukraine had a corrupt prosecutor who wasn’t investigating much of anything and definitely not investigating Hunter Biden. It was the official foreign policy of both the USA and the EU that he need to be removed so the correct use of the aid could be guaranteed. So Joe Biden acted in accordance with the foreign and security polices of the USA. Trump tried to use the same mechanism for personal gain. It’s not so much what was done as why it was done. If I break into your house because I see you lying unconscious on the floor or I break into your house to steal your stuff it’s two very different things even though both involve breaking in. Hope that helps.
@Francis Devenney: Sorry meant for James S
@Francis Devenney: i would believe you. No reason not to apart from the current secretary of state who admitted on camera “i was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. Its – it was like – we had entire training courses on it”
How can we believe Biden if the secretary of state says this.
How can you believe the Ukrainian prosecutor was corrupt when the CIA commit crimes all over the world with no repercussions.
The reason they want to go after Trump is that he and his administration and saying stuff publicly that no administraton ever admitted before.
@Francis Devenney: a bit like Julia Nuland deciding who was going to be the next president of Ukraine after the maidan protests. Do you remember them flying to Ukraine and handing bread out to the protesters.
If Ukraine intervened in the US the way the US is interfering in Ukraine. Imagine how crazy the Democrats would go.
@great gael of Eire: What is it I’ve said you think is wrong? without getting bogged down in moral equivalency.
@great gael of Eire: very simple Trump did it for personal gain while Biden did as directed in accordance with USA direction in a joint agreement with the EU. Bringing up the CIA’s operations and suggesting Trump is now just admitting things other administrations have just lied about is BS. Trump is getting caught doing things himself for his own benefit and he doesn’t admit what he has done even when caught.
@Paul Darby: Apparently the leaked manuscript appears to have come from the whitehouse itself where Bolton had to send a copy for approval.
@Tracy Moore: that’s even better. He must be in full meltdown now
@great gael of Eire: yeah.. but he’s not president…….
@Francis Devenney: Everything is wrong.
Politicians are self centered in nature. Both Biden and Trump are as bad as each other. O’Bama and Bush employed this as well. Its not a new phenomenon. These peole have no morals and as Pence said they will use all means necessary to get away with what they want legally or illegally.
Biden is a hypocrite. Taking the moral high ground. What was his son doing on the board of a gas company in Ukraine in the first place. What biden did was wrong because what the hell are the US doing interfering in Ukraine. Its 1000′s miles from US borders.
@james s: Well if you seen the video then I am sure you can take the time yourself to read up on the actual story of what that was – in short he was doing his job as Vice President – doing what the US , The EU and all the western world wanted at the time – which was leverage pressure on the corrupt operators in the Ukraine at the time – the video excerpt was him explaining the circumstances around that – but hey I think you already know that and are still trying to deflect from the facts of how the current President is abusing the office for personal gain , as I said everytime Republicans / Trump get caught or on the wrong side they immediately shout Biden Biden Biden – Obama Obama Obama , Clinton Clinton Clinton – we all know the game mate-it’s nonsense.
@great gael of Eire: Such a false equivalence. Trump and Biden are not as bad as eachother. What Trump did is objectively and demonstrably worse. If you can’t see that then it’s you that has the issue.
@Bryan Yelahw: sure i believe you… bit like tomato tomato…..
Do you think Bush should of been jailed for invading Iraq and Afghanistan? Millions have died because of this? But ya lets go after Trump for withholding money from Ukraine. A real crime.
The Nazis in WW2 were tried for starting a war and aggressively invading other countries.
@great gael of Eire: Yes, Bush should have been impeached just as Donald Trump called for at the time by the way! This isnt about Bush or Obama or anyone else. It’s about Trump. Two wrongs etc. Just because you like him doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be impeached.
@Paul Darby: do you even know what ‘sanctimonious’ means?
@Bryan Yelahw: i don’t like him. Its a farce of pot calling the kettle black. Biden has way more blood on his hands than trump. I don’t like the moral ground the biden takes. He’s a war criminal..
Surely a coincidence that Trumpy and the trumpettes also don’t want Bolton to testify?
The word allegedly in the header is completely unnecessary.
@Stephen McManus: “Trump said he wanted to withhold aid from Ukraine, alleges his former national security adviser ” They need a better headline writer.
@Stephen McManus: Yes, it is. You crazy people think everything written against Trump is true. It’s “allegedly” for a good reason. Have you not learned from all the previous lies and false allegations?
Why don’t you both go under oath? Let’s see who’s lying.
The big fat liar. Imagine having little baby hands like a childs’ when ur 6 foot tall and look like a cheeseburger. He couldn’t lay straight in bed, the big liar. His son-in-law, charged with sorting out the Middle East, looks like a 17 yo Kid. His older sons are dumb as 2 rocks. The daughter is a gate-crasher. But the one I most pity is the poor wife. Imagine having to change the bed sheets after he had eaten 6 Big Macs in bed and spilled his sauce all over the quilt? The dirty little bugger.
@Paul Whitehead:
Jesus. That’s some hate filled comment you just posted, you should get that seen too, it’ll eat you up inside al. A lot of current Democrats spout the same hate too, in fairness. They can’t get over Trump winning the election either.
@Raven: someone makes a rambling hate filled nonsense comment and you can’t help yourself but HAVE to bring in the Democrats to your discussion…upward eye roll..
@Raven: he won 4 years ago, no one gives a toss about that anymore. It’s what he’s done since he won that’s more than questionable. Think for yourself.
@Joey Roche:
Stay on topic.
Remember when Omarosa’s “bombshell” book was going to take down Trump?
Remember when Andrew McCabe’s “bombshell” book was going to take down Trump?
Remember when Jim Comey’s “bombshell” book was going to take down Trump?
How did those work out?
This Bolton book is nothing new.
According to Trump everyone is a liar but him he’s a nut case
have your say