usatoday--2020-01-27--OnPolitics: The day impeachment witnesses became a maybe

If you 've been sitting in the shadows , waiting for John Bolton-impeachment crossover news , now is your time to shine .
Heads up , it 's a lot to sort out .
Heads up part 2 , we 'll sort it out for you , so please do n't panic .
Or , do .
We do n't know your life .
Will Bolton be called to testify , or nah ?
The news of a Bolton-authored book broke Sunday and the details suggest President Donald Trump told the former national security advisory that aid to Ukraine was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What that meant for impeachment on Monday is that the only question being asked of Senators was would they now agree to allow for more witnesses and documents .
It 'd been a hard pass on that so far , but all signs point to a reconsideration following news of the Bolton book .
Several lawmakers dodged the question about Bolton but Maine Independent Sen. Angus King said he expects as many as 10 Senators to vote in favor of allowing witnesses , including Bolton , once the Trump team is finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was n't all Bolton today on impeachment , was it ?
Not everybody has hitched their impeachment interest to the Bolton wagon , right ?
That 's cool .
We have that covered , too .
Here 's what you missed today if you decided to live your life free of binge-watching the trial .
• Mike Purpura , a deputy White House counsel defending President Donald Trump in the trial , argued that House Democrats ignored the president ’ s well-known concern about corruption in Ukraine • Ken Starr , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment trial , urged senators to step back from an “ age of impeachment ” with three presidential inquiries in 50 years by rejecting the partisan investigation .
• The Senate chaplain , retired Rear Adm. Barry Black , opened the impeachment trial by mentioning it was Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ’ birthday .
He turned 65 .
“ Thank you for giving our chief justice another birthday , ” Black said , as Roberts smiled .
• Trump ’ s lawyers focused on Hunter Biden , the son of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , during their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial .
Eric Herschmann , a private lawyer representing Trump , questioned why Hunter Biden was hired and paid so much by Burisma without any experience in the natural gas industry Prince Andrew is ghosting the FBI in Epstein inquiry Prince Andrew has not responded to interview requests from the FBI and federal prosecutors in the government 's investigation into accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein , Manhattan 's chief federal prosecutor said Monday .
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the embattled Duke of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would assist law enforcement authorities with inquires into his former friend 's activities , has provided `` zero '' cooperation .
Facing allegations that Epstein once forced a 17-year-old girl to have sex with the prince , Andrew announced in November that he was stepping away from his public duties as a royal .
The prince and Buckingham Palace have cast the allegations as `` false and without any foundation . ''
Have you ever wanted to join a Facebook group dedicated entirely to the calm discussion of politics ?
We asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Across the Nation '' Facebook group what questions they wanted to know about the impeachment trial .
Nick Wu , USA TODAY political reporter , came through with the answers .
Phyllis Brown asked : Why is Trump not there ?
Answer : Trump isn ’ t actually required to be at the trial .
He said earlier this week he ’ d “ love ” to be at the trial , but his lawyers have poured cold water on that idea .
Dennis Stevens asked : Why won ’ t they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past allowed witnesses ?
Answer : The Senate hasn ’ t actually decided on witnesses yet — they have to get through this first stage of the trial , when both the prosecution and defense will make their cases , then they ’ ll take a separate vote early next week on whether to allow witnesses or documents .
That vote only requires a simple majority , though Republicans control the Senate 53-47 .
Want to read more about the questions people asked ?
Join our Facebook group .

OnPolitics: The day impeachment witnesses became a maybe
Show Caption Hide Caption Presidential impeachment: Clinton, Johnson, Nixon test U.S. democracy Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
If you've been sitting in the shadows, waiting for John Bolton-impeachment crossover news, now is your time to shine.
Heads up, it's a lot to sort out. Heads up part 2, we'll sort it out for you, so please don't panic. Or, do. We don't know your life.
Will Bolton be called to testify, or nah?
The news of a Bolton-authored book broke Sunday and the details suggest President Donald Trump told the former national security advisory that aid to Ukraine was indeed held up pending a Biden investigation.
What that meant for impeachment on Monday is that the only question being asked of Senators was would they now agree to allow for more witnesses and documents. It'd been a hard pass on that so far, but all signs point to a reconsideration following news of the Bolton book.
Several lawmakers dodged the question about Bolton but Maine Independent Sen. Angus King said he expects as many as 10 Senators to vote in favor of allowing witnesses, including Bolton, once the Trump team is finished making its case.
Okay, but it wasn't all Bolton today on impeachment, was it?
Not everybody has hitched their impeachment interest to the Bolton wagon, right? That's cool. We have that covered, too. Here's what you missed today if you decided to live your life free of binge-watching the trial.
Mike Purpura , a deputy White House counsel defending President Donald Trump in the trial, argued that House Democrats ignored the president’s well-known concern about corruption in Ukraine
, a deputy White House counsel defending in the trial, argued that House Democrats ignored the president’s well-known concern about corruption in Ukraine Ken Starr , a private lawyer representing Trump in the Senate impeachment trial, urged senators to step back from an “age of impeachment” with three presidential inquiries in 50 years by rejecting the partisan investigation.
, a private lawyer representing Trump in the Senate impeachment trial, urged senators to step back from an “age of impeachment” with three presidential inquiries in 50 years by rejecting the partisan investigation. The Senate chaplain, retired Rear Adm. Barry Black , opened the impeachment trial by mentioning it was Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ birthday. He turned 65. “Thank you for giving our chief justice another birthday,” Black said, as Roberts smiled.
, opened the impeachment trial by mentioning it was Supreme Court Chief Justice birthday. He turned 65. “Thank you for giving our chief justice another birthday,” Black said, as Roberts smiled. Trump’s lawyers focused on Hunter Biden, the son of his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, during their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial. Eric Herschmann, a private lawyer representing Trump, questioned why Hunter Biden was hired and paid so much by Burisma without any experience in the natural gas industry
Prince Andrew is ghosting the FBI in Epstein inquiry
Prince Andrew has not responded to interview requests from the FBI and federal prosecutors in the government's investigation into accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Manhattan's chief federal prosecutor said Monday.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the embattled Duke of York, who indicated last year that he would assist law enforcement authorities with inquires into his former friend's activities, has provided "zero" cooperation.
Facing allegations that Epstein once forced a 17-year-old girl to have sex with the prince, Andrew announced in November that he was stepping away from his public duties as a royal. The prince and Buckingham Palace have cast the allegations as "false and without any foundation."
Have you ever wanted to join a Facebook group dedicated entirely to the calm discussion of politics?
You've got impeachment questions. We've got answers
We asked members of our "Across the Aisle, Across the Nation" Facebook group what questions they wanted to know about the impeachment trial. Nick Wu, USA TODAY political reporter, came through with the answers.
Phyllis Brown asked: Why is Trump not there? Answer: Trump isn’t actually required to be at the trial. He said earlier this week he’d “love” to be at the trial, but his lawyers have poured cold water on that idea.
Dennis Stevens asked: Why won’t they let witnesses when they have in the past allowed witnesses? Answer: The Senate hasn’t actually decided on witnesses yet — they have to get through this first stage of the trial, when both the prosecution and defense will make their cases, then they’ll take a separate vote early next week on whether to allow witnesses or documents. That vote only requires a simple majority, though Republicans control the Senate 53-47.
Want to read more about the questions people asked? Join our Facebook group.


usatoday--2020-01-27--In Reno, Trump, Buttigieg campaign staffers go toe-to-toe over … office parking spots

RENO — One Biggest Little City strip mall may not be big enough for two presidential campaigns .
Until last week , staffers for 2020 Democratic contender Pete Buttigieg and Republican President Donald Trump seemed able to peaceably coexist just a few doors down from one another in a quiet , two-story shopping center at Keystone Avenue and West Fourth Street .
Then , on Friday , a Buttigieg volunteer found an unsigned note printed on Trump campaign letterhead tacked to her car ’ s windshield .
“ We noticed that you decided to park right in front of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those ( who ) would like a convenient space to visit the Trump office , ” the note read .
“ I saw the Buttigeig ( sic ) sticker and sign on the back of your car , so we kindly ask that you park in a space that is not right in front of our office .
“ I would assume that the Buttigeig ( sic ) office has more convenient spaces around the corner closer to your entrance upstairs.
” The anonymous letter-writer also provided the Buttigieg volunteer with a Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to use the contested parking space , but only if she put the sticker on her car .
“ If not , and this happens again , I will have to contact the property manager and have them get in touch with you , ” the letter concludes .
The Reno Gazette Journal could find no signage designating assigned parking spaces in or around either campaign office .
A spokesman for Trump ’ s Nevada campaign team did not directly answer questions about whether all office visitors were required to display a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Selberg , Buttigieg ’ s Nevada campaign director , accused Team Trump of trying to intimidate those who support a potential future election foe .
“ Pete is the best candidate to go up against Donald Trump and win , ” Selberg wrote in a statement .
“ Clearly , the Trump campaign knows that , and is trying to intimidate our volunteers .
But just like Pete is not intimidated by Trump , we won ’ t be either , and we ’ ll continue to spread Pete ’ s vision across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the old ways of Washington and lead this state and our country forward.
” Keith Schipper , a spokesman for Trump ’ s Nevada re-election campaign , took a lighter approach to the topic .
“ We are glad there is still an opportunity for fun and harmless banter between opposing campaigns , ” he wrote in a text message to the RGJ .
Trump ’ s campaign has expressed optimism about the president ’ s chances of winning the Silver State in November , even after Republicans suffered a shellacking at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who was previously mayor of South Bend , Indiana , is considered a top contender in Nevada ’ s upcoming presidential caucus .
Polls suggest he ’ s the fourth-most popular candidate among likely Democratic caucusgoers .
James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal .
He covers campaigns , the Nevada Legislature and everything in between .
Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here .

In Reno, Trump, Buttigieg campaign staffers go toe-to-toe over … office parking spots One campaign's idea of intimidation tactics is another's idea of harmless hijinks
Show Caption Hide Caption Pete Buttigieg: Look back at his years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012-2019. Here's a look at his years in office. South Bend Tribune
RENO — One Biggest Little City strip mall may not be big enough for two presidential campaigns.
Until last week, staffers for 2020 Democratic contender Pete Buttigieg and Republican President Donald Trump seemed able to peaceably coexist just a few doors down from one another in a quiet, two-story shopping center at Keystone Avenue and West Fourth Street.
Then, on Friday, a Buttigieg volunteer found an unsigned note printed on Trump campaign letterhead tacked to her car’s windshield.
“We noticed that you decided to park right in front of our office, potentially taking spaces away from those (who) would like a convenient space to visit the Trump office,” the note read. “I saw the Buttigeig (sic) sticker and sign on the back of your car, so we kindly ask that you park in a space that is not right in front of our office.
“I would assume that the Buttigeig (sic) office has more convenient spaces around the corner closer to your entrance upstairs.”
The anonymous letter-writer also provided the Buttigieg volunteer with a Trump 2020 bumper sticker, explaining she could continue to use the contested parking space, but only if she put the sticker on her car.
“If not, and this happens again, I will have to contact the property manager and have them get in touch with you,” the letter concludes.
The Reno Gazette Journal could find no signage designating assigned parking spaces in or around either campaign office.
A spokesman for Trump’s Nevada campaign team did not directly answer questions about whether all office visitors were required to display a pro-Trump sticker on their car.
Paul Selberg, Buttigieg’s Nevada campaign director, accused Team Trump of trying to intimidate those who support a potential future election foe.
“Pete is the best candidate to go up against Donald Trump and win,” Selberg wrote in a statement. “Clearly, the Trump campaign knows that, and is trying to intimidate our volunteers. But just like Pete is not intimidated by Trump, we won’t be either, and we’ll continue to spread Pete’s vision across the state to turn the page on the old ways of Washington and lead this state and our country forward.”
Keith Schipper, a spokesman for Trump’s Nevada re-election campaign, took a lighter approach to the topic.
“We are glad there is still an opportunity for fun and harmless banter between opposing campaigns,” he wrote in a text message to the RGJ.
Trump’s campaign has expressed optimism about the president’s chances of winning the Silver State in November, even after Republicans suffered a shellacking at the polls in 2018's midterms.
Buttigieg, who was previously mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is considered a top contender in Nevada’s upcoming presidential caucus. Polls suggest he’s the fourth-most popular candidate among likely Democratic caucusgoers.
Nevada’s third-in-the-nation nominating contest is scheduled for Feb. 22.
James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. He covers campaigns, the Nevada Legislature and everything in between. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.


usatoday--2020-01-27--Senate impeachment trial: Fact-checking opening arguments of Trump's defense team

Saturday , the defense of President Donald Trump began in his impeachment trial in the Senate .
Here 's a look at claims and issues raised by the president 's lawyers as they lay out their response to the case made by the Democratic House managers prosecuting the articles of impeachment – for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – against Trump .
Trump falsely claims House of Representatives never asked Bolton to testify As bombshell reporting surfaced about the contents of a forthcoming book by Trump ’ s former national security adviser , John Bolton , lawmakers grappled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be allowed in the Senate impeachment trial , and President Donald Trump falsely claimed Bolton was never asked to testify by House Democrats .
Democrats have called for witnesses like Bolton and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to be subpoenaed in the trial , and Republicans argue that the House missed its chance to hear from those witnesses during the House 's impeachment inquiry .
Trump went so far as to tweet Monday morning before the trial resumed , “ The Democrat controlled House never even asked John Bolton to testify .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to the Senate !
” In fact , the House committees overseeing the impeachment inquiry asked Bolton to testify in a letter dated Oct. 30 , 2019 , and had scheduled a deposition for Nov. 7 , at which he did not appear .
Bolton ’ s counsel said he would only testify if he was legally compelled to do so by a subpoena , and indicated he would join onto a lawsuit by his deputy Charles Kupperman .
Kupperman wanted the courts to decide whether he could be legally compelled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the executive branch , the White House , was directing him not to cooperate with the inquiry .
House investigators withdrew their subpoena of Kupperman , and his case was dismissed by a judge .
Democrats also decided not to issue a subpoena to Bolton because it would delay the investigation .
After Trump was impeached by the House , Bolton said in a statement that he would be willing to testify in the Senate if subpoenaed .
Reporting on his upcoming book includes that Bolton wrote Trump told him that aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations into the Bidens and election interference .
More : What we know about John Bolton 's allegations about Trump and Ukraine '' There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president ’ s defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump , '' the seven Democratic House impeachment managers said .
Sekulow : It was Trump – not Obama – that provided Ukraine with lethal military aid As the president ’ s legal team made its opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the private attorneys on Trump ’ s team , said that it was Trump -- not his predecessor Barack Obama -- who provided Ukraine with lethal military aid , including anti-tank Javelin missiles .
Indeed , Sekulow said that U.S. policy toward Ukraine policy under Trump got stronger , stronger than it had been under former President Obama .
While Sekulow is correct about the provision of lethal aid , the charge in the impeachment trial against Trump for abuse of power turns on his decision to delay aid to Ukraine that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivations for doing so .
House Democrats allege Trump delayed the aid in order to pressure Ukraine ’ s newly elected president into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden , a top Trump political rival , and into entertaining a debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election .
“ The Obama administration refused to provide lethal weapons in 2014 , ” PolitiFact writes , after Russia invaded Crimea .
“ But the United States under Obama did provide extensive military and security aid but not lethal weapons , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a request from Ukraine for lethal aid in 2014 , even after its then-president visited Washington and reportedly said “ Blankets and night vision goggles are important , but one can not win a war with a blanket.
” “ U.S .
officials were concerned that providing the Javelins to Ukraine would escalate their conflict with Russia , ” PolitiFact writes , adding “ key allies , including Germany , were not keen on sending weapons into the conflict zone.
” In 2014 , the Obama administration approved $ 53 million in aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , body armor and night-vision goggles , as well as humanitarian assistance , ” according to PolitiFact .
And , between 2014 and 2016 , the U.S. committed more than $ 600 million in security assistance to Ukraine .
While the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act had called for lethal assistance , “ the equipment ultimately provided during Obama ’ s tenure was non-lethal aid , ” PolitiFact writes .
`` ’ The first lethal deliveries came from Trump , ’ '' Jim Townsend , deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told PolitiFact .
Townsend also explained that the aid provided by Obama was what had been “ recommended by European command and others who went in to see what [ the Ukrainians ] needed . ''
But Trump has been impeached and is facing trial in the Senate over the delay in congressionally approved aid to the U.S. ally as it fights Russian aggression .
On that issue , a government watchdog agency recently concluded that the Trump administration violated federal law when it withheld the funds intended to help Ukraine .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law , '' the report by the Government Accountability Office says .
`` OMB withheld funds for a policy reason , which is not permitted '' under the law .
A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget disagreed with the GAO ’ s conclusion .
And speaking Saturday , Deputy White House Counsel Mike Purpura told senators “ the president did absolutely nothing wrong.
” He added : “ The president was at all times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his oath of office.
” Trump ’ s defense focuses on his concern with burden-sharing in helping Ukraine In laying out their defense of President Trump , his legal team touched Saturday on his concerns about whether European allies were doing enough to help Ukraine .
“ The president rightly had real concerns about whether European and other countries were contributing their fair share to ensuring Ukraine ’ s security , ” Deputy White House Counsel Mike Purpura told senators .
Earlier this week , during an interview with Fox Business Network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ There ’ s something else I ’ m always stressing , ” the president said during the cable TV interview .
“ Why isn ’ t Germany and France and U.K. and all these other countries in Europe that are much more affected than us , why aren ’ t they paying something ?
” “ They are paying plenty.
“ the Associated Press wrote in assessing Trump ’ s assertion .
While the AP observed that “ the U.S. is a heavy source of military assistance ” to Ukraine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2014 , the EU and European financial institutions have mobilized more than $ 16 billion to help Ukraine ’ s economy , counter corruption , build institutions and strengthen its sovereignty against further incursions by Russia after its annexation of Crimea.
” FactCheck.org reached a similar conclusion : “ In fact , the European Union and European financial institutions have contributed more than $ 16.4 billion in grants and loans to Ukraine since 2014.
” And , “ the U.S. isn ’ t even the majority contributor of total official development assistance ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One analyst has concluded that on average the EU has given almost twice as much per year to Ukraine since 2014 than the U.S. has averaged .
With regard to just military aid , a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine told The Washington Post ’ s Fact Checker that “ ‘ The United States is the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine.
” This is because of “ ‘ skittishness ’ among many European countries that ‘ don ’ t want to provoke Russia , ’ ” former Ambassador John Herbst said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is how the aid burden is usually divided between the United States and the Europeans , with the United States providing the muscle and Europe providing the ‘ soft power ’ to stabilize troubled nations .
”

Martina Stewart and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

Senate impeachment trial: Fact-checking opening arguments of Trump's defense team
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump impeachment trial: Pat Cipollone, defense gives opening argument Pat Cipollone, part of President Donald Trump's legal defense team, summarized their defense during their opening arguments on January 25, 2020. USA TODAY
Saturday, the defense of President Donald Trump began in his impeachment trial in the Senate. Here's a look at claims and issues raised by the president's lawyers as they lay out their response to the case made by the Democratic House managers prosecuting the articles of impeachment – for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – against Trump.
Trump’s team puts the Bidens on trial over Burisma
Trump’s lawyers focused Monday evening on Hunter Biden, the son of his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, during their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial.
Pam Bondi said the defense team would have preferred to avoid Biden and his work on the board at Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company in Ukraine. But the impeachment articles accuse Trump of abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and Burisma.
"We would prefer not to be discussing this,” she said. “But the House managers have placed this squarely at issue, so we must address it."
Bondi focused on news reports that suggested Hunter Biden was hired solely because he was son of the former vice president. Bondi also highlighted a number of media reports chronicling what could appear to be a conflict-of-interest for the vice president due to him and the Obama administration’s pressuring Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who had previously attempted to probe Burisma.
House managers had said that allegations against Burisma had been debunked. Biden’s effort to have Shokin fired for corruption was part of the U.S. national policy and was supported by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
USA TODAY has reported that Shokin was ousted because he wasn’t pursuing corruption by Ukraine’s politicians. More specifically, Bondi’s implication Monday that then-Vice President Biden withheld $1 billion in aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the government to remove Shokin because the top prosecutor was investigating Burisma and its oligarch owner -- a move that Trump and his allies say benefited Hunter Biden -- is a suggestion contradicted by foreign diplomatic officials who were following the issue at the time.
More: Biden, allies pushed out Ukrainian prosecutor because he didn't pursue corruption cases
And FactCheck.org concluded “there is no evidence that Hunter Biden was ever under investigation or that his father pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin on his behalf.”
Eric Herschmann, another private lawyer representing Trump who addressed senators after Bondi, questioned why Hunter Biden was hired and paid so much by Burisma without any experience in the natural-gas industry, the energy sector generally or with Ukraine.
“What are the House managers afraid of finding out?” Herschmann asked.
A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during the Clinton administration told USA TODAY it's not unusual for Ukrainian companies to bring on high-profile people from the West in an effort to burnish their image and gain influence.
USA TODAY spent a week in Ukraine and reported “the message from two dozen government officials and anti-corruption investigators quickly became clear: The allegations against the Bidens are entirely lacking in evidence.”
More: Trump's conspiracy theories thrive in Ukraine, where a young democracy battles corruption and distrust
Hunter Biden told ABC News in October 2019 that he was focused on corporate governance while on Burisma’s board.
“Bottom line is that I know I was completely qualified to be on the board to head up the corporate governance and transparency committee on the board, and that’s all that I focused on,” Biden said in the video that Herschmann played at the trial.
But during the same interview, Biden refused to disclose how much he was paid. Bondi said public records from an unrelated criminal case suggested that Biden was paid $83,333 per month for 17 months. Herschmann said Democrats circled the wagons in August to protect Joe Biden, but that questions linger.
"They contend that any investigation into the millions of dollars in payments by a corrupt Ukrainian company owned by a corrupt Ukraine oligarch to the son of the second highest officer holder in our land, who was supposed to be in charge of fighting corruption in Ukraine – they’re calling that type of inquiry a sham, debunked,” Herschmann said. “But there has never been an investigation, so how could it be a sham?"
Andrew Bates, a Biden campaign spokesman, said accusations against Biden and his son had been debunked by fact-checkers at the Washington Post, New York Times and others. "Joe Biden was instrumental to a bipartisan and international anti-corruption victory," Bates said. "It's no surprise that such a thing is anathema to President Trump."
The lead House manager, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Trump’s lawyers spent about two hours trashing the Bidens, but couldn’t explain why the president only took an interest in investigating them during 2019. Schiff said it was “crystal clear” that the pressure for investigations came after Joe Biden had announced his Democratic candidacy to challenge Trump.
“At the end of the day, they don’t contest that President Trump sought to coerce Ukraine into conducting two political investigations in order to help him cheat in the election,” Schiff said.
–Bart Jansen, Christal Hayes, and Martina Stewart
Trump falsely claims House of Representatives never asked Bolton to testify
As bombshell reporting surfaced about the contents of a forthcoming book by Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, lawmakers grappled Monday with new calls for witnesses to be allowed in the Senate impeachment trial, and Trump falsely claimed Bolton was never asked to testify by House Democrats.
Democrats have called for witnesses like Bolton and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to be subpoenaed in the trial, and Republicans argue that the House missed its chance to hear from those witnesses during the House's impeachment inquiry.
Trump went so far as to tweet Monday morning before the trial resumed, “The Democrat controlled House never even asked John Bolton to testify. It is up to them, not up to the Senate!”
The Democrat controlled House never even asked John Bolton to testify. It is up to them, not up to the Senate! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
In fact, the House committees overseeing the impeachment inquiry asked Bolton to testify in a letter dated Oct. 30, 2019, and had scheduled a deposition for Nov. 7, at which he did not appear.
More: John Bolton defies House summons for closed-door testimony
Bolton’s counsel said he would only testify if he was legally compelled to do so by a subpoena, and indicated he would join onto a lawsuit by his deputy Charles Kupperman. Kupperman wanted the courts to decide whether he could be legally compelled to testify by subpoena from the legislative branch when the executive branch, the White House, was directing him not to cooperate with the inquiry.
House investigators withdrew their subpoena of Kupperman, and his case was dismissed by a judge. Democrats also decided not to issue a subpoena to Bolton because it would delay the investigation.
After Trump was impeached by the House, Bolton said in a statement that he would be willing to testify in the Senate if subpoenaed. Reporting on his upcoming book includes that Bolton wrote Trump told him that aid money to Ukraine was directly tied to investigations into the Bidens and election interference.
More: What we know about John Bolton's allegations about Trump and Ukraine
"There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president’s defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump," the seven Democratic House impeachment managers said.
–Jeanine Santucci
Sekulow: It was Trump – not Obama – that provided Ukraine with lethal military aid
As the president’s legal team made its opening arguments Saturday, Jay Sekulow, one of the private attorneys on Trump’s team, said that it was Trump -- not his predecessor Barack Obama -- who provided Ukraine with lethal military aid, including anti-tank Javelin missiles.
Indeed, Sekulow said that U.S. policy toward Ukraine policy under Trump got stronger, stronger than it had been under former President Obama.
While Sekulow is correct about the provision of lethal aid, the charge in the impeachment trial against Trump for abuse of power turns on his decision to delay aid to Ukraine that had been appropriated by Congress and his motivations for doing so. House Democrats allege Trump delayed the aid in order to pressure Ukraine’s newly elected president into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden, a top Trump political rival, and into entertaining a debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“The Obama administration refused to provide lethal weapons in 2014,” PolitiFact writes, after Russia invaded Crimea. “But the United States under Obama did provide extensive military and security aid but not lethal weapons,” PolitiFact adds.
The Obama administration rejected a request from Ukraine for lethal aid in 2014, even after its then-president visited Washington and reportedly said “Blankets and night vision goggles are important, but one cannot win a war with a blanket.”
“U.S. officials were concerned that providing the Javelins to Ukraine would escalate their conflict with Russia,” PolitiFact writes, adding “key allies, including Germany, were not keen on sending weapons into the conflict zone.”
In 2014, the Obama administration approved $53 million in aid “that included vehicles, patrol boats, body armor and night-vision goggles, as well as humanitarian assistance,” according to PolitiFact. And, between 2014 and 2016, the U.S. committed more than $600 million in security assistance to Ukraine.
While the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act had called for lethal assistance, “the equipment ultimately provided during Obama’s tenure was non-lethal aid,” PolitiFact writes.
"’The first lethal deliveries came from Trump,’" Jim Townsend, deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy during the Obama administration, told PolitiFact. Townsend also explained that the aid provided by Obama was what had been “recommended by European command and others who went in to see what [the Ukrainians] needed."
But Trump has been impeached and is facing trial in the Senate over the delay in congressionally approved aid to the U.S. ally as it fights Russian aggression.
On that issue, a government watchdog agency recently concluded that the Trump administration violated federal law when it withheld the funds intended to help Ukraine.
"Faithful execution of the law does not permit the president to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law," the report by the Government Accountability Office says. "OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted" under the law.
A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget disagreed with the GAO’s conclusion.
Watchdog: White House budget office violated federal law by withholding Ukraine security funds
And speaking Saturday, Deputy White House Counsel Mike Purpura told senators “the president did absolutely nothing wrong.”
He added: “The president was at all times acting in our national interest and pursuant to his oath of office.”
–Martina Stewart
Presidential impeachment: Clinton, Johnson, Nixon test U.S. democracy Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Trump’s defense focuses on his concern with burden-sharing in helping Ukraine
In laying out their defense of President Trump, his legal team touched Saturday on his concerns about whether European allies were doing enough to help Ukraine.
“The president rightly had real concerns about whether European and other countries were contributing their fair share to ensuring Ukraine’s security,” Deputy White House Counsel Mike Purpura told senators.
Earlier in the week, during an interview with Fox Business Network, the president expressed those concerns again. “There’s something else I’m always stressing,” the president said during the cable TV interview. “Why isn’t Germany and France and U.K. and all these other countries in Europe that are much more affected than us, why aren’t they paying something?”
“They are paying plenty.“ the Associated Press wrote in assessing Trump’s assertion.
While the AP observed that “the U.S. is a heavy source of military assistance” to Ukraine, it also pointed out that “Since 2014, the EU and European financial institutions have mobilized more than $16 billion to help Ukraine’s economy, counter corruption, build institutions and strengthen its sovereignty against further incursions by Russia after its annexation of Crimea.”
FactCheck.org reached a similar conclusion: “In fact, the European Union and European financial institutions have contributed more than $16.4 billion in grants and loans to Ukraine since 2014.”
And, “the U.S. isn’t even the majority contributor of total official development assistance” to Ukraine, according to FactCheck.org.
One analyst has concluded that on average the EU has given almost twice as much per year to Ukraine since 2014 than the U.S. has averaged.
With regard to just military aid, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine told The Washington Post’s Fact Checker that “‘The United States is the largest provider of military aid to Ukraine.” This is because of “‘skittishness’ among many European countries that ‘don’t want to provoke Russia,’” former Ambassador John Herbst said. Furthermore, the Post explained: “This is how the aid burden is usually divided between the United States and the Europeans, with the United States providing the muscle and Europe providing the ‘soft power’ to stabilize troubled nations.”
–Martina Stewart
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