President Trump suggested Friday he may attempt to stop his imminent Senate impeachment trial from including testimony from John R. Bolton, his former national security adviser.
Mr. Trump indicated during an interview aired on Fox News that he would be inclined to invoke executive privilege if Mr. Bolton is subpoenaed to testify before the Senate.
“Why not call Bolton?” host Laura Ingraham asked Mr. Trump. “Why not allow Bolton to testify?”
“No problem other than one thing,” Mr. Trump replied. “You can’t be in the White House as president, future, I’m talking about future — many future presidents — and have a security adviser, anybody having to do with security, and legal and other things but especially —”
Mr. Trump’s response was cut short by Ms. Ingraham interjecting to ask the president point-blank, “Are you going to invoke executive privilege?”
“Well, I think you have to for the sake of the office,” answered Mr. Trump.
Mr. Bolton, who left the Trump administration in September, announced on Monday this week that he would testify in the president’s impeachment trial if subpoenaed by the Senate.
The House of Representatives voted last month to impeach the president in connection with his administration’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine, but proceedings have stalled in the weeks since as a result of its Democratic majority refusing so far to take steps needed for the Senate to hold a trial to consider whether to convict Mr. Trump and potentially remove him from the White House.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said Friday that the House will move matters forward next week by sending articles of impeachment to the Senate, where Mr. Trump is likely to be acquitted by fellow Republicans in control.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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