Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries slammed former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday for skipping out on the impeachment investigation last year.
Lawmakers across party lines have been condemning Mr. Bolton for promoting his new book, “The Room Where it Happened,” by connecting it to the impeachment proceedings but refusing to answer questions under oath.
“John Bolton is a political opportunist and profiteer,” Mr. Jeffries, New York Democrat, said on ABC News’ “This Week.”
Mr. Jeffries serves on the House Judiciary Committee and was one of the impeachment managers in the Senate trial.
He rejected the claim but forward by Mr. Bolton’s book, that Democrats misstepped by focusing only on Ukraine to make their case for impeachment.
“At the end of the day however, House impeachment managers proved with clear and convincing evidence that Donald Trump corruptly abused his power,” Mr. Jeffries said. “We established that. The Senate committed malpractice in terms of acquitting Donald Trump and now it’s in the hands of the American people.”
The latest leaks from the book allege President Trump pushed the importance of agricultural trade on his reelection campaign to Chinese President Xi and praised China’s plan to build “concentration camps.”
Mr. Bolton’s allegations made him a key player in the impeachment case against Mr. Trump in January, as the earliest leaks reportedly asserted Mr. Trump told him military aid to Ukraine was being blocked until that country turned over information on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and on whether Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election.
Those claims were at the center of Democrats’ case, which accused Mr. Trump of using military aid to leverage Ukraine into opening investigations into his political rival, Mr. Biden.
Senate Democrats used Mr. Bolton’s information to ramp up pressure on vulnerable Senate Republicans to support their push for key witnesses, which did not succeed.
Democrats received criticism for not pursuing a subpoena for Mr. Bolton, who said he would not cooperate with the House, in order to proceed quickly in the impeachment process.
Mr. Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in the House, but acquitted of all charges in the Senate — both on stark party-line votes.
The Trump defense team rallied against the allegations in Mr. Bolton’s book, and attempted to block its release. A judge ruled Saturday the book could move forward, but Mr. Bolton could still face legal issues for allowing publication without final national security approval.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.