The impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump at the House of Representatives is nearing its end. The Democrats, who hold the majority there, want to complete the investigation by the end of this year. The charge against Trump was filed based on the allegation that he demanded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy launch judicial proceedings against his rival democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden was a board member of an energy company in Ukraine during his father's two terms as vice president. Joe Biden was allegedly engaged in putting a lid on an investigation into the company's alleged corruption in Ukraine.
The U.S. Congress decided to provide $391 million in military aid to Ukraine, which is experiencing tensions with Russia. Trump suspended the military aid for a while. It was alleged that he had asked Zelenskiy to investigate the Bidens in exchange for the release of the aid. If we look at the allegations, one of Trump's special attorneys, Rudy Giuliani, acted as a Department of State official in his contacts with Ukraine. The role of attorney Giuliani, who has no official title in the Trump administration, in the Ukrainian debacle is the focus of the criminal investigation.
The Department of State and the National Security Council play an important role in the process of allocating U.S. military aid to a foreign country. Therefore, the Committees in the House of Representatives are hearing statements of U.S. diplomats in the European Union and Ukraine, in addition to the advisors of the National Security Council for Ukrainian, European and Russian affairs. The White House, on the other hand, legally prevented some names from giving their testimony in Congress. These names can only be forced to testify by subpoena.
One of the important witnesses in the investigation is John Bolton, Trump's former National Security Advisor. Bolton, an infamous Neocon, is known for his hard-line views on international issues. Trump is believed to have used Bolton, who he fired last September, as a stick in international negotiations. The latter, however, argued that that was not the case, rather that he resigned.
Bolton was also suspected of leaking the contents of Trump's phone conversation with Zelenskiy on July 25th. Bolton's probable testimony as a key figure in all the processes of the Ukrainian issue is a source of concern for the White House. Bolton, who does not want to testify voluntarily, is ready to say what he knows in case he is subpoenaed by Congress.
According to the statements of some National Security Council officials who have played a role in Ukraine-related activities, Bolton objected that Lawyer Rudy Giuliani played a key role in this matter. In fact, Bolton described Giuliani as a grenade that would blow up everyone around him. At this point, Bolton is in a position to detonate this grenade. He plans to describe his time with Trump at the White House in a book.
Bolton did not use his Twitter account after he was fired from the White House. He re-emerged on the scene for the first time by posting a tweet on Friday, claiming that the White House had blocked access to his Twitter account and said, “Glad to be back on Twitter after more than two months. For the backstory, stay tuned...” Bolton in other tweets posted on the same day implied that the White House was afraid of what he had to say.
Revenge is a dish best served cold and Bolton could not digest that he had been fired from the White House in such a humiliating manner. If the Democrats succeed to bring Bolton to the witness stand, they think it will be the nail in the coffin of the Trump presidency. Will Bolton provide the Democrats with this opportunity? In Washington, all eyes are on Bolton now.
