The team of House managers presenting the case for impeachment in the Senate trial of Donald Trump have released their first statement responding to the news that John Bolton asserts Trump personally told him he was freezing congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine until Ukraine agreed to assist in investigations of Democrats and his potential challenger Joe Biden:
“Today’s explosive revelation that President Trump personally told former National Security Advisor John Bolton that he would continue the freeze on military aid to Ukraine until that country agreed to his political investigations confirms what we already know. There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the President’s defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump.
“Senators should insist that Mr. Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other relevant documents. The Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide. There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision Senators must now make—whether to convict the President of impeachable offenses.
“During our impeachment inquiry, the President blocked our request for Mr. Bolton’s testimony. Now we see why. The President knows how devastating his testimony would be, and, according to the report, the White House has had a draft of his manuscript for review. President Trump’s cover-up must come to an end.
“Americans know that a fair trial must include both the documents and witnesses blocked by the President—that starts with Mr. Bolton.”
xThe President blocked our request for Bolton’s testimony.Now we see why:Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the President’s defense.If the trial is to be fair, Senators must insist that Mr. Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other documents. https://t.co/go9DJdRDEf
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 27, 2020
Nancy Pelosi also weighs in:
Amb. Bolton reportedly heard directly from Trump that aid for Ukraine was tied to political investigations.The refusal of the Senate to call for him, other relevant witnesses, and documents is now even more indefensible.The choice is clear: our Constitution, or a cover-up.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have announced that Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas will deliver the Spanish-language Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech next month.
“In the House of Representatives, she is making a difference for El Pasoans and for all Americans, as she fights to end the gun violence epidemic and to protect children and families at the southwest border,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Her values and vision beautifully represent our party and our country, and we look forward to hearing her positive message of progress.”
As noted by Pelosi in the statement, Escobar made history as one of the first Latinas to be elected to represent Texas in Congress, alongside her colleague (and manager in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial) Rep. Sylvia Garcia. Like many of her freshman colleagues, Escobar has made a powerful mark in Congress during her first year in office.
Following the white supremacist terror attack in El Paso last year, Escobar filled the presidential void to become a comforter-in-chief to her distraught community while condemning the kind of rhetoric that influenced the attack. When Trump asked her to join him during his visit to El Paso, she declined, saying, “I refuse to be an accessory.” Escobar has also been a compassionate advocate for immigrant families, and has helped lead investigations into some of the most harmful anti-immigrant policies from the Trump administration.
This past November, Escobar was elected by her colleagues as the newest member of the House Democratic leadership team. “Congresswoman Escobar’s election to the Democratic House leadership is monumental for Latino representation in Congress,” Latino Victory Project said at the time. “Since day one, Escobar established herself as a steadfast, hard-working leader in the freshman class, whose penchant for consensus-building did not go unnoticed.”
“I am honored to be delivering the Democratic Spanish-language response to President Trump’s State of the Union and look forward to addressing our nation on the progress Democrats have made For the People,” said Escobar in the statement. “Our diversity is our strength. Now more than ever, Democrats will continue to celebrate our diversity, defend our democracy, and work for a more equal and just nation.”