A new Quinnipiac poll finds 75% of Americans think that witnesses should be allowed to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial, while 20% do not.
Support for witness testimony includes 49% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats, and 75% of independents.
On the question of whether Trump should be removed from office, voters remain divided, with 48% opposed and 47% in favor.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) predicted that if the Senate opens the door to calling new witnesses, Republicans will vote to subpoena President Trump’s top targets, The Hill reports.
Said Graham: “I’ll make a prediction: There will be 51 Republican votes to call Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, the whistleblower and the DNC staffer at a minimum.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) hinted to Politico that she might support calling former National Security Adviser John Bolton as a witness in President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Said Murkowski: “I think that Bolton probably has something to offer us so we’ll figure out how we’re going to learn more.”
According to several people who spoke to him, President Trump “has sounded resigned to the possibility of witnesses” at his impeachment trial in the Senate have grown, the New York Times reports.
“Just days ago, Republicans were optimistic President Trump’s defense team could cruise to an acquittal by the end of this week, but many believe his lawyers now face a steep climb to stop a vote to allow new witnesses and drag out the impeachment proceedings,” Axios reports.
“Republican senators and their aides are frustrated about the way the Bolton manuscript leaked, with some privately venting suspicions that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone must have known about its contours before a Saturday presentation on the Senate floor during which Trump’s defense team asserted there was ‘no evidence anywhere’ that Trump linked Ukraine aid to any investigations.”
First Read: “President Trump’s lawyers on Monday were throwing so much spaghetti against the wall — to see what would stick — the Senate chamber might have been the kitchen in an Olive Garden.”
You had:
“Got all of that? If you’re a regular watcher of Sean Hannity, it might have made sense. But if not, it was all over the place.”
“Sources close to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tell Axios that, if it appears that at least 51 senators will vote for witnesses, McConnell and Schumer will likely try to hash out an agreement rather than going straight to a vote.”
“If the Senate goes that route, Republicans are likely to demand their own list of witnesses — with Joe Biden’s son Hunter at the top.”
“This has privately created a dilemma for some Democrats, who are eager for more information but recognize that a vote for witnesses could open the door for Republicans to use the impeachment stage to try to deal an insurmountable blow to the campaign of a rival thought to pose the greatest risk to Trump in the general election.”
“President Trump’s team of lawyers did not change their tactics Monday despite bombshell new revelations related to former national security adviser John Bolton’s alleged knowledge about the Ukraine affair at the center of the president’s impeachment trial,” The Hill reports.
“In hours of arguments on the Senate floor, Trump’s attorneys did not address or seek to knock down Bolton’s account, as Trump himself has done.”
Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA), an influential conservative in the Senate, has spoken with several colleagues in recent days about possibly summoning just two witnesses to President Trump’s impeachment trial, with one called by Republicans and one by Democrats, the Washington Post reports.
“Toomey has confided to GOP senators that proposing a ‘one-for-one’ deal with Senate Democrats may be necessary at some point, particularly with pressure mounting for witnesses to be called… He has argued that such an arrangement could force Democrats to accept a Republican witness against their wishes or else risk having Republicans move ahead to acquit Trump.”
“The defense team’s strategy rests on pretending that news doesn’t exist.”
— Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), observing that President Trump’s lawyers are ignoring reports about John Bolton’s book in their impeachment defense.
“Senate Republicans were thrown off-balance Monday by the latest John Bolton revelations, offering a range of convoluted — and at times contradictory — responses to an episode that threatens to upend President Trump’s impeachment trial,” Politico reports.
“GOP senators, who hadn’t yet had time to coordinate their responses before arriving at the Capitol, offered an all-over-the-map assessment of the significance of the former national security adviser’s claim that Trump told him he would continue withholding military aid until Ukraine provided information about investigations he had been seeking into his Democratic rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden.”
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) told NPR that as many as 10 Republican senators would eventually vote in favor of allowing new witnesses during President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Playbook: “After a morning in the Capitol, here’s what we can say for sure: The NYT story about John Bolton’s manuscript has undoubtedly scrambled the impeachment proceedings, leaving the once cocksure Republican Party scratching their collective heads at what comes next. The body language and the rhetoric have changed — but to what end, we’re not certain at this moment.”
“Over the weekend, Republicans were quite sure that the impeachment trial of President Trump would be over by this weekend. Now there’s a distinct sense of confusion about when and how this will all end.”
“At the moment, Senate GOP leadership sources tell us they are still pushing against witnesses — but they acknowledge the situation is fluid, and say it could change.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she is “curious” to know what John Bolton might have to say about President Trump’s relations with Ukraine but stopped short of saying if she would support calling him to testify in the impeachment trial, The Hill reports.
Said Murkowski: “Well I read it. I’ve said before I was curious what Ambassador Bolton might have to say and I’m still curious.”
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who was sworn in just last month to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), criticized Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) over his apparent willingness to hear from new witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Said Loeffler: “After 2 weeks, it’s clear that Democrats have no case for impeachment. Sadly, my colleague Senator Romney wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander Donald Trump during their 15 minutes of fame. The circus is over. It’s time to move on!”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told McClatchy that he might be open to calling for John Bolton to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial, but added that he’ll also push to hear from other witnesses, including Joe and Hunter Biden and the anonymous whistleblower.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) issued a statement: “The reports about John Bolton’s book strengthen the case for witnesses and have prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.