House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) says he is weighing next steps with other House leaders after former national security adviser John Bolton detailed a series of allegations about President Trump’s contacts with foreign leaders in his upcoming book.
Schiff, who led the House impeachment prosecution against Trump last year over his contacts with Ukraine, vowed that Democrats in the lower chamber will continue to investigate avenues of possible wrongdoing by the president.
“We will continue to hold Trump accountable, and work to expose his abuses and corruption,” Schiff said in a statement. “In the coming days, we will be consulting with the Speaker and other chairs on next steps.”
It’s unclear what the next steps will be. Democrats could seek to investigate, but they will again face off with a White House intent on fighting subpoenas and blocking witnesses from testifying.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told CNN on Thursday that subpoenaing Bolton for testimony is “something we ought to consider.”
But Democrats would also face political headwinds in aggressively pursuing the president just months away from the presidential election.
Nevertheless, Bolton’s book has given Democrats many new avenues to examine, including by writing that Trump had solicited Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assistance in winning reelection.
Bolton claims Trump stressed the importance of getting the vote from U.S. farmers and advocated that China make more purchases of U.S. soybeans and wheat to help his electoral chances.
“If these new allegations are accurate, it is further proof that Trump’s coercion of Ukraine, for which he was impeached, is part of a persistent pattern by Trump of abusing his position and misusing the powers of the U.S. government to seek personal and political benefits from foreign governments,” Schiff said.
House Democrats impeached Trump late last year on two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of justice — alleging that he invited a foreign country to interfere in the upcoming presidential election by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden and Biden’s son. The GOP-controlled Senate later acquitted Trump on the two counts, largely along party lines.
Bolton has angered both Democrats and the White House alike with his new book.
The former White House adviser refused to testify before the House during its impeachment inquiry, instead threatening to join a lawsuit contesting the House Democrats’ subpoenas seeking his associate’s testimony. Bolton then offered to testify during the impeachment trial before the Senate, adding pressure on GOP senators.
Republicans in the upper chamber, however, ultimately voted down the option of hearing from witnesses during the trial.
Democrats are also likely to be irritated with Bolton for writing that the House should have investigated Trump’s dealings with countries other than Ukraine.
Still, Schiff said Bolton’s allegations further support what Democrats sought to prove during the impeachment trial, that Trump “has a pattern and practice of abusing his power for personal and political gain.”
“John Bolton may be an author, but he’s no patriot,” Schiff said, pointing to his refusal to testify.
“History will judge those Republicans who sought to protect Trump, harshly. It will judge those who refused to testify when others came forward, harshly. And it will judge Donald Trump harshest of them all,” added Schiff.