McConnell’s Sham Trial Dream Is Dying As Mitt Romney Says He Wants To Hear From Bolton

Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are trying to make a mockery of a potential impeachment trial by conducting it without witnesses, but some Republican senators might have a different idea in mind.

When asked what he thinks about John Bolton testifying in a potential trial, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said he’d be in favor of the idea – a potential blow to Trump as he tries to skate through a Senate trial without any damning witness testimony.

“I’d love to hear what he has to say,” Romney said on Monday, calling Bolton a key “firsthand” witness.  “I’d like to hear what he knows.”

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Romney said:

I’d love to hear what [John Bolton] has to say. He has firsthand information, and assuming that articles of impeachment do reach the Senate, why I’d like to hear what he knows.

McConnell doesn’t have enough votes for a sham trial

At the moment, there aren’t anywhere near enough votes to reach the threshold needed to remove Donald Trump from office – but that doesn’t mean there are enough votes for Trump and McConnell to get away with a sham Senate trial.

Over the past couple of weeks, a handful of Republican senators have publicly signaled that they’d like to hear from witnesses when a trial reaches the Senate. That list includes Romney, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, among others.

PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley pointed out earlier that even GOP leadership in the Senate is admitting that there could be witnesses in the impeachment trial.

While Mitch McConnell does appear to have the votes to prevent Trump’s removal from office, it’s clear – as I wrote last month – that he is struggling to get the 51 votes it would take for his dream of a sham trial to come true.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.