WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial was overshadowed on Monday by an unpublished manuscript from former national security adviser John Bolton that said Trump wanted to freeze U.S. aid to Ukraine to pressure the country for politically beneficial investigations.
The following are selected quotes:
REPUBLICAN SENATOR MITT ROMNEY
“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton.”
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
“I haven’t seen the manuscript, but I can tell you nothing was ever said to John Bolton.”
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER
“This is stunning. It goes right to the heart of the charges against the president.”
“Ambassador Bolton essentially confirms the president committed the offenses charged in the first article of impeachment.”
HOUSE MANAGER ADAM SCHIFF
“It completely blasts another hole in the president’s defense.”
“This would be another witness that would corroborate in very direct terms, if this report is accurate, that the president told him unequivocally he was holding up the money until Ukraine did these investigations.”
TRUMP ATTORNEY PAT CIPOLLONE
“An election is only months away and for the first time in history they are asking you to remove a president from the ballot.”
REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE MARK MEADOWS
“We’re talking about an unpublished manuscript that only ‘anonymous sources’ have seen, leaked by someone at the 11th hour, just as Democrats are losing what little impeachment momentum they had left. We’ve seen this playbook used before. Americans won’t buy it.”
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL
“They are fast losing any shred of credibility by essentially ignoring the need for the evidence from John Bolton and others who have firsthand knowledge. They say there isn’t enough evidence. But they’re trying to stop it from coming before the Senate.”
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN
“Let’s remember one thing: why the man’s on trial. He’s afraid to run against me.”
TRUMP LAWYER JAY SEKULOW
“It is our position, as the president’s counsel, that the president was at all times acting under his constitutional authority, under his legal authority, in our national interest and pursuant to his oath of office.”
Reporting by Makini Brice, Richard Cowan, Susan Cornwell, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Peter Cooney