A plan floated by some Republican senators to read the manuscript of former National Security Adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book in secret reflects efforts by supporters of US President Donald Trump to hide the truth, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2020) A plan floated by some Republican senators to read the manuscript of former National Security Adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book in secret reflects efforts by supporters of US President Donald Trump to hide the truth, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday.
"What an absurd proposal. It's a book. There's no need for it to be read in the SCIF [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility] unless you want hide something. To what extent are some of our Republicans colleagues going to twist themselves [into] an entire pretzel to avoid the truth?" Schumer said.
The Bolton manuscript contains an account of a 2019 conversation with Trump in which the US president explicitly linked nearly $400 million in approved military aid for Ukraine to Kiev's willingness to investigate for corruption Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, according to media reports.
Democrats are demanding testimony from four current or former White House officials, including Bolton, with first-hand knowledge of Trump's Ukraine policy. Democrats are seeking testimony from Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and staffers Michael Duffy and Robert Blair.
"Nothing is a substitute for a witness under oath, in person, testifying. That's what we want," Schumer said.
Senate Republicans, who initially hoped to complete the trial without calling any witnesses, face mounting pressure to allow witness testimony following accounts of the Bolton book, which reportedly refutes White House claims there was no link between US military aid and Trump's push for an investigation of the Bidens.
