Many of the Republican senators dismissing the relevance of former national security advisor John…

Many of the Republican senators dismissing the relevance of former national security advisor John BoltonJohn BoltonTrump allies throw jabs at Bolton over book’s claimsGOP confident of win on witnessesGiuliani calls Bolton a ‘backstabber’ over Ukraine allegationsMORE’s testimony to President TrumpDonald John TrumpCNN’s Don Lemon explains handling of segment after Trump criticismNPR reporter after Pompeo clash: Journalists don’t interview government officials to score ‘political points’Lawyer says Parnas can’t attend Senate trial due to ankle braceletMORE’s ongoing impeachment trial are also his longtime friends and colleagues.
A fixture in Republican national security circles for decades and a former Fox News contributor, Bolton has long-standing relationships with much of the Republican conference.
The connections have put Republicans in a tough spot as Trump trashes his former advisor, with the senators walking a tightrope between defending Trump and respecting Bolton.
I like John Bolton, Sen. Roy BluntRoy Dean BluntThe Hill’s Morning Report – Bolton charge ups ante in witness showdownTrump team doubles down despite Bolton bombshellBolton upends Trump impeachment trial MORE (R-Mo.) told reporters this week, but quickly added he wouldnt vote for Bolton to be a witness in the trial. The one thing I know for sure is John Bolton doesnt know a single thing today he didnt know before Christmas. Its the Houses job to put a case together. Its then our job to deal with that in a prompt manner.
Bolton was thrust into the center of the Senates fight over witnesses in the impeachment trial after the New York Times reported that Boltons forthcoming memoir will say Trump directly tied a freeze in U.S. military aid to Ukraine to Kyiv announcing investigations into the Bidens.
The claim made in the draft of the memoir would give Bolton direct knowledge of a scheme alleged in Trumps impeachment.
Bolton previously said hed appear before the Senate if subpoenaed after refusing to testify before the House during its impeachment inquiry, and Democrats seized on the revelations about his book to bolster their case for calling him as a witness.
Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyGOP confident of win on witnessesCollins Senate bid threatens to spark GOP rift in GeorgiaRepublicans signal renewed confidence they’ll avoid witness fightMORE (R-Utah), who has been the most vocal Republican in support of witnesses, called Bolton a very responsible and capable person.
The pressure to call Bolton briefly scrambled GOP plans to quickly end the trial without witnesses, but in the days since the revelations about the memoir were first reported, Republicans have expressed confidence they have the votes to block witnesses.
Trump, meanwhile, has been lashing out at his former national security adviser, with whom he had an acrimonious split. On Wednesday, he tweeted that Bolton wrote a nasty and untrue book.
For a guy who couldnt get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldnt get approved for anything since, ‘begged’ me for a non Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying ‘Dont do it, sir,’ takes the job, mistakenly says ‘Libyan Model’ on T.V., and many more mistakes of judgement, gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book, Trump tweeted.
Trump and Bolton parted ways in September amid policy disagreements on Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan and other areas.
In a sign of the bitterness of the split, the two have not even agreed on the terms of Boltons departure. Trump says he fired Bolton, while Bolton insists that he quit.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeGOP Foreign Affairs leaders join pushback against potential troop drawdown in AfricaDemocrats say Trump ceded right to block Bolton when he attacked himBroad, bipartisan rebuke for proposal to pull troops from AfricaMORE (R-Okla.), who notes hes known Bolton for decades, suggested this week that Boltons split with Trump has colored his view of the president.
He was fired by the president, Inhofe told reporters. That can have an effect on a person.
Inhofe also stressed Wednesday that Bolton is an old friend. But Inhofe added that doesnt have anything to do with whether he should be called as a witness, citing Trump legal team member Alan DershowitzAlan Morton DershowitzTrump allies throw jabs at Bolton over book’s claimsTrump’s team rests, calls for quick end to trialDershowitz fires back after Warren criticism: She ‘doesn’t understand the law’MOREs arguments that even if Boltons allegations are true, they would not constitute an impeachable offense.
Bolton, the national security hawk known for his advocacy of regime change in places such as Iran, forged his connections with Republican lawmakers as he held positions in the Reagan and both Bush administrations.
In the years between his roles in the George W. Bush administration and Trump administration, Bolton was a fixture on Fox News as a paid contributor.
Boltons self-named political action committee has donated to dozens of Republican senators campaigns over the years. For the 2020 campaign cycle, the PAC has given to Republican Sens. Tom CottonThomas (Tom) Bryant CottonOvernight Health Care Presented by Philip Morris International HHS has no plans to declare emergency over coronavirus | GOP senator calls for travel ban to stop outbreak | Warren releases plan to contain infectious diseasesHillicon Valley: UK allows Huawei to build 5G in blow to Trump | Lawmakers warn decision threatens intel sharing | Work on privacy bill inches forward | Facebook restricts travel to China amid virusLawmakers warn US, UK intel sharing at risk after Huawei decisionMORE (Ark.), Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerOvernight Defense: White House threatens to veto House Iran bills | Dems ‘frustrated’ after Iran briefing | Lawmakers warn US, UK intel sharing at risk after Huawei decisionForeign Relations Democrats ‘deeply frustrated’ after Iran briefingGOP leader warns lawmakers on fundraising: ‘Getting our ass kicked’MORE (Colo.) and Thom TillisThomas (Thom) Roland TillisSenators ready for question time in impeachment trialProgressive group targeting vulnerable GOP senators on impeachment witnessesProgressive group launches campaign targeting vulnerable GOP senators on impeachmentMORE (N.C.), according to Open Secrets.
Sen. Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyNSA improperly collected US phone records in October, new documents showOvernight Defense: Pick for South Korean envoy splits with Trump on nuclear threat | McCain blasts move to suspend Korean military exercises | White House defends Trump salute of North Korean general WH backpedals on Trump’s ‘due process’ remark on gunsMORE (R-Pa.), whose campaign received money from Boltons PAC in the 2016 cycle, told reporters this week that I got nothing for you when asked what he thinks of Bolton. When pressed by a reporter on the campaign donations, Toomey did not appear to respond before another reporter asked a different question.
Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamGOP confident of win on witnessesGOP Foreign Affairs leaders join pushback against potential troop drawdown in AfricaRepublicans signal renewed confidence they’ll avoid witness fightMORE (R-S.C.), who has become a staunch Trump ally, noted that hes known Bolton for two decades and has a very shared worldview with him.
Still, in an interview on Fox News, Graham lamented that Bolton has kind of thrown the country into a ditch here.”
Just come forward and say what’s on your mind, Graham said Tuesday night in an appeal to Bolton. Hold a news conference, and we’ll consider what you’ve got to say if you think it’s that important.
Jordain Carney contributed.