Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Updated 7:14 AM ET, Mon January 27, 2020
(CNN)Democrats demanding new witnesses in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial are seizing on a report that the President ordered former national security adviser John Bolton to keep military aid to Ukraine frozen in a bid to coerce political favors.
The revelation, first reported by the New York Times, heaped new pressure on a handful of Republican senators who may be interested in hearing testimony from Bolton and other witnesses in a process that could significantly delay Trump’s hopes for a swift acquittal as soon as this week. A source with direct knowledge of the manuscript told CNN the Times’ account of Bolton’s account of the Ukraine aid hold discussion with Trump is accurate.
The new complications emerged on Sunday even as Trump was clearly sensing an imminent victory and showed he was spoiling for retribution against Democrats who led his impeachment in the House of Representatives last year.
In a series of late night tweets, Trump denied claims he told Bolton aid to Ukraine was tied to an investigation of the Bidens. “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination,” Trump tweeted.
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Article URL : https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/27/politics/democrats-john-bolton-trump-impeachment-trial/index.html