is bolton in?
John Bolton reportedly says he'll testify for impeachment investigators — but only if a federal court tells him to
John Bolton reportedly has one condition before giving House impeachment investigators what they want.
The former national security adviser who was either fired or quit his job in September has been regarded as a possible foil to President Trump thanks to the acrimonious way he went out. And with impeachment hearings underway, Bolton is taking that suggestion pretty seriously, people familiar with his thinking tell The Washington Post.
Bolton was slated for a closed-door impeachment hearing this Thursday, but didn't show up in what could be interpreted as a show of continued loyalty to Trump. But apparently, Bolton is just waiting for a federal court to decide whether former White House officials can be forced to testify before Congress like Democrats want them to, the Post reports.
The ongoing court battle revolves around whether two ex-Trump officials — White House counsel Don McGahn and deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman — can be forced to comply with congressional subpoenas against Trump's claimed "executive privilege." Bolton's lawyer hasn't ruled out the possibility that Bolton could be added to that suit if he's subpoenaed too, the Post says.
Regardless, neither Bolton's refusal to testify right now, nor reported willingness to testify if a court orders him to, can really be interpreted as an adherence to or defiance of Trump. It seems more like Bolton is just waiting things out before he can chalk his ultimate decision up to the courts.