ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that he is “prepared to testify” if he is subpoenaed by the Senate in its impeachment trial.
Bolton, who left the White House in September, said that he has weighed the issues of executive privilege and that after “careful consideration and study” decided that he would comply with a Senate subpoena.
“I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify," he said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly expressed resistance to calling new witnesses in the trial, though Democrats are pressing to hear from Bolton and others who did not appear before the House's inquiry in the upcoming proceedings.
Bolton's statement comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stalling House-passed articles of impeachment against Trump in a bid to get new witnesses to testify. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has proposed calling several witnesses, including Bolton, but McConnell has so far rejected Schumer's terms.
It is unclear when Pelosi will eventually release the articles. If she decides to do so in the coming days, a Senate trial could start as soon as this week.
“We can’t hold a trial without the articles,” McConnell tweeted Monday. “The Senate’s own rules don’t provide for that. So, for now, we are content to continue the ordinary business of the Senate while House Democrats continue to flounder. For now.”
A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather has claimed more lives.
The Senate has acquitted Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. The rare Saturday session comes barely one month since the deadly Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol.
While Congress negotiates another stimulus package with a price tag of up to $1.9 trillion, some economists are raising concerns that inflationary pressures will return to the economy.
Heather Boushey, a member of the Biden administration's Council of Economic Advisers, spoke with Cheddar about the need to mitigate COVID-19 in order to return Americans to full employment.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y. 12th District) has introduced a legislative package containing five bills aimed at improving gun safety in the U.S.
Canopy Growth CEO David Klein talked to Cheddar about the confidence he has that the Canadian cannabis company will soon be entering the U.S. market.
The new organization, U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), will lobby and organize on the state and federal levels to push lawmakers toward ending cannabis prohibition through industry-friendly reforms that promote equity and inclusion.
State Rep. Noel Frame discussed a new proposal by Washington democrats to impose a wealth tax on billionaires to help combat growing inequality.
Andrene Ward-Hammond, who plays Big Mo on Showtime's "Your Honor" talks to Cheddar about how the limited series reflects the ongoing issues of inequity in the U.S. criminal justice system.
After seeing two academic years thrown off course by the pandemic, school leaders around the country are planning for the possibility of more distance learning next fall at the start of yet another school year.
