(CNN)Former White House national security adviserJohn Boltonsaid Monday he is willing to testify – if he is subpoenaed – in the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
Bolton issued a statement Monday after the courts did not rule whether he would be compelled to testify during the House’s impeachment proceedings, saying he was trying to meet his “obligations both as a citizen and as former national security adviser.”
“Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study,” Bolton said. “I have connected that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.”
Bolton is potentially a crucial witness, as he had firsthand knowledge of many of the events that formed the House’s impeachment of the President over his dealings with Ukraine. The House sought his testimony but ultimately never subpoenaed Bolton, and Democrats withdrew their subpoena for his former deputy after it was challenged in court, as Democrats wanted to move forward with their impeachment probe and not wait for the court’s decision.
Bolton’s statement is likely to put new pressures from Democrats on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow witnesses in the Senate trial, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic House leadershave pushed for.
“It is now up to four Senate Republicans to support bringing in Mr. Bolton, and the other three witnesses, as well as the key documents we have requested to ensure all the evidence is presented at the onset of a Senate trial, “Schumer said in a statement. “Given that Mr. Bolton’s lawyers have stated he has new relevant information to share, if any Senate Republican opposes issuing subpoenas to the four witnesses and documents we have requested they would make absolutely clear they are participating in a cover up.”
But Bolton’s statement is unlikely to change McConnell’s strategy over Trump’s impeachment trial, according to multiple GOP sources familiar with the matter.
McConnell has rejected Democratic demands to require that the ground rules of the trial include testimony of Bolton and three other witnesses, along with documents withheld by the White House. He says such decisions about witnesses and documents should be made after opening arguments, though Democrats fear that’s an attempt to prevent any witnesses from testifying at all.
Several GOP sources familiar with the matter say that Bolton’s Monday announcement will not sway McConnell. “Not at all,” one source said.
McConnell plans to reiterate his view to Senate Republicans during a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, a source said.
Ultimately, issuing a subpoena for Bolton would require 90 votes in the Senate, meaning at least four republicans would have to join 64 Democrats.
Bolton left a message with McConnell before he put out the statement to give him a heads up that it was coming, according to a source familiar with the matter. The White House was not informed.
*** Amid the Senate’s impasse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to formally send the two impeachment articlesto the Senate after the House passed them last month.
Until the House formally sends the articles , McConnell has said the trial will not start. But he’s dismissed the idea that Democrats can enact any concessions by withholding the articles.
Lawmakers return to Washington this week to take back up the impeachment fight that’s also in the same position it was before Congress left town for the holidays. The major developments with Iran have added a new wrinkle to the battle between congressional Democrats and the White House, but it’s unlikely to shift the calculus on the impeachment trial.
Pelosi had no advanced knowledge of Bolton’s statement, but a senior Democratic aide said Pelosi’s decision to withhold the articles played a role.
“We would not have this development absent the speaker’s hold,” the senior Democratic aide said. “Another proof point that indicates the value of her strategy.”
Pelosi tweeted Monday that Trump and McConnell “have run out of excuses.”
“They must allow key witnesses to testify, and produce the documents Trump has blocked, so Americans can see the facts for themselves,” she said. “The Senate cannot be complicit in the President’s cover-up.”
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, sought Bolton’s testimony during the House’s impeachment investigation into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. But Bolton’s former deputy,
Charles Kupperman
, filed a lawsuit after he was subpoenaed, arguing the White House was directing him not to testify and the courts should decide the issue. Instead, the House withdrew its subpoena of Kupperman and did not issue a subpoena for Bolton after his attorney indicated he would go the same route.
Bolton and Kupperman are two of several witnesses that House Democrats sought whom Senate Democrats are now pushing for in the Senate trial, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House aide Rob Blair.
The new statement comes after Bolton was both surprised and curious that he had not been subpoenaed by the House, according to the source familiar with the matter. There had been mounting criticism that he wanted to hold off on sharing what he knew about the withholding of aid to Ukraine for his book. It is unclear what specifically triggered him to put out this statement right now.
It is unclear what Bolton will do if the White House tries to block his testimony, or parts of it, the source said. But the statement speaks for itself in that he is prepared to provide testimony.
This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.
CNN’s Betsy Klein, Sarah Westwood, Phil Mattingly and Vicky. Ward contributed to this report.
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