Democrats in Washington believe that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) strategy to withhold the articles of impeachment from the Senate was vindicated in light of former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton’s Monday announcement that he would comply with a Senate subpoena to testify.
“In light of Bolton willingness to testify, Dems argue that Pelosi strategy to withhold articles has been vindicated. ‘We would not have this development absent the Speaker’s hold,’ a senior Democratic aide said. ‘Another proof point that indicates the value of her strategy,’” CNN’s Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju said.
In an effort to force the Senate to conduct a fair impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Pelosi has said she cannot select impeachment managers – representatives who argue the House’s case before the Senate – until she understands the kind of trial that will be taking place.
NBC News’s Heidi Przybyla similarly called news of Bolton’s likely testimony a “boost to [Pelosi’s] strategy.”
But the House Speaker’s audacious withholding maneuver, which was suggested by Harvard Law School Prof. Laurence Tribe, may not actually have been a direct attempt to apply pressure on the Senate’s Republican leadership.
Instead, many have suggested that Pelosi’s delay tactic was designed to create a window of opportunity where more evidence damaging to Trump was likely to be revealed, thus making it harder for the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to abide by his promise to fully coordinate with the White House regarding the proceedings.
Regardless of whether Pelosi foresaw such news or was merely engaging in a high-risk, high-reward bet, it appears the tactic has paid off.
Additionally, Bolton’s testimony has the potential to become a catalyst for other possibly groundbreaking impeachment developments.
“If the Senate gets Bolton to testify, Trump will demand [Chief of Staff Mick] Mulvaney testify to counter him,” national security attorney Bradley P. Moss predicted Monday. “And lord knows what Mulvaney will actually disclose in that testimony. Dominoes will fall. Pelosi’s gamble may have worked.”
[image via YouTube screengrab]
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