On Thursday, the House of Representatives will take yet another step toward the impeachment of Donald Trump, albeit another small, confusing one.
What was once just a “formal impeachment inquiry” will now enjoy the benefit of an “impeachment resolution” vote in the first chamber of Congress – a move that looks to add some structure to the proceedings after congressional Republicans cried foul over the lack of transparency set by the current standard.
For many within the GOP, the move is “too little, too late”, citing the lengthy head-start that the Democrats have received in terms of media spin and political vitriol.
Still, the left is proceeding, and they believe that their latest escalation in tactics could help them hook one of bigger fish in the case.
House lawmakers on Wednesday invited former national security adviser John Bolton to testify next week as part of Democrats’ impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump, according to a report.
The Hill reports Bolton’s closed-door deposition is scheduled for November 7, though the former Trump official’s attorney has not yet confirmed whether his client will attend the closed-door session. Congressional investigators have also requested two current National Security Council staffers, Michael Ellis and lawyer John Eisenberg, to testify November 4.
The development comes after Christopher Anderson, a State Department Foreign Service officer, told lawmakers Wednesday that Bolton told him that President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, “was a key voice with the president on Ukraine.” Bolton was also so concerned with Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine that he called the president’s lawyer a “hand grenade who is going to blow everybody up,” according to a former White House aide Fiona Hill.
Bolton’s involvement in the contentious Ukraine conversations being relayed to Congress this week by other witnesses will certainly be a focal point of his testimony – should he choose to appear.
The White House has been instructing a number of former staffers and aides not to cooperate with the “formal impeachment inquiry”, citing the lack of the aforementioned House vote. It has yet to be determined as to whether or not this stance will soften after Thursday’s vote.
