Ahead of second day of the president's impeachment defense presentation, Republican and Democratic senators offered very different reactions to a bombshell New York Times report that ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton has written in a manuscript that President Donald Trump told him that he froze aid to Ukraine over demands for investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President and 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden.
At separate press conferences on Monday, Republicans said nothing has changed, but Democrats called the new information "stunning."
Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana said the weekend reporting, "really doesn't change anything." Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said, "the facts of the case remain the same."
Before the GOP members spoke, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York alleged that if the Senate Republicans are "not going to vote to call Mr. Bolton and Mr. [Mick] Mulvaney, they would be part of a coverup."
"We're all staring a White House coverup in the face," Schumer said, flanked by Democratic SenatorsTammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Ben Cardin of Maryland. "This is stunning."
Schumer said Bolton's allegation "essentially confirms" the first impeachment article of abuse of power against the president.
Asked if he would support a subpoena to get John Bolton's manuscript, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly told reporters Monday, "I want to know what's in the manuscript, yeah, I think that's important." Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) also indicated they would consider voting to hear from witnesses.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts is being asked to testify to Congress as scrutiny mounts around Justice Clarence Thomas.
The GOP-dominated Iowa Senate passed a bill that would loosen the state's child labor laws.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has unveiled a sweeping package that would raise the nation’s debt limit by $1.5 trillion into next year.
The Florida Board of Education has approved a ban on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades.
The Supreme Court is deciding whether women will face restrictions in getting a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the U.S. while a lawsuit continues.
New supervisors leading Disney World’s revamped governing body say they had good intentions about collaborating with the company after they were appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Tuesday that contains more than 50 directives to increase access to child care and improve the work life of caregivers.
Supreme Court justices seemed in broad agreement that businesses can’t cite minor costs or hardships to reject requests from workers who need schedule or other accommodations because of their religious practices.
Fox and Dominion Voting Systems have reached a $787 million settlement in the voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pledged Monday to pass legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling — but only on condition of capping future federal spending increases at 1% — as he lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget-cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis.
