Trump Backtracks on Letting Bolton Testify

John Bolton, who was President Trump's national security adviser, has said he's willing to testify in the Senate's upcoming impeachment trial. On Thursday, Trump indicated that he wouldn't object, saying, "I don’t stop it." But asked Friday if he'd use executive privilege to keep Bolton from testifying, the president said, "I think you have to for the sake of the office." Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News, Bloomberg reports. "You can’t be in the White House as president — future, I’m talking about future, many future presidents — and have a security adviser, anybody having to do with security, and legal, and other things” testify, the president said.

The House hasn't forwarded the articles of impeachment to the Senate yet, and one possibility is that the House will subpoena Bolton to testify first. Rep. Adam Schiff, who ran Trump impeachment hearings, said Friday that he doesn't see that happening, per the New York Daily News. Bolton should testify "before the triers of fact, which are the senators," Schiff said. (Three GOP senators had hedged on calling Bolton to testify in Trump's trial.)