Bolton to testify?
by digby
Lawyers for former national security adviser John Bolton have had talks with the three House committees leading the impeachment inquiry about a possible deposition, according to a source familiar.
If he does give a deposition, Bolton would join a handful of current and former Trump administration members who have been interviewed this month as part of the Democratic-led inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
As House members who serve on the Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees have been interviewing witnesses in private, some of the committees’ Democrats have said they believe there’s a need for Bolton to testify.Fiona Hill, Trump’s former top Russia adviser, told lawmakers last week that she saw “wrongdoing” in American foreign policy and that Bolton had encouraged her to report her concerns to the National Security Council’s attorney, sources had told CNN.
A source told CNN that Hill testified that Bolton referred to Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who was working to dig up dirt on the Bidens, as a “hand grenade,” who was “going to blow everybody up.”Hill also spoke about what she described as a rogue operation carried out by US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, and White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, which Bolton characterized as being like a “drug deal,” that source said.
The top US diplomat to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, told Congress this week that Bolton had expressed concern about the July call between Trump and Zelensky, according to Taylor’s opening statement.Taylor’s opening statement also alleged that Trump was pressing for Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into the Bidens before he would greenlight US security assistance and a White House meeting with Zelensky.
Tim Morrison, a top Russia and Europe adviser on the National Security Council, had listened to the Trump-Zelensky call and informed Taylor about the conversation. Morrison is expected to testify before House impeachment investigators next week, making his testimony one of the first from someone who directly heard the call.
Trump fired Bolton as his national security adviser last month, after Trump made clear he “strongly disagreed” with many of Bolton’s suggestions. Bolton, however, insisted that he had resigned.
Bolton is as much of a loose cannon as Trump but in a completely different way. He’s arrogant and narcissistic but he’s not stupid and that makes the difference. The smart person in this situation would be looking for a way to distance himself from Trump’s crimes.
Bolton is also reportedly very angry. He was treated shabbily by this imbecile and he doesn’t like it. The only question is if his big book deal requires him to keep his mouth shut until it’s published. Yes, he’s just as corrupt as the rest of them.
So who knows?