From Far & Near US Impeachment Watch-6 By Shashi Malla New Twist through Bolton Bombshell? The New York Times made a sensational revelation Sunday that could influence the course of the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate. In an unpublished book manuscript, the former National Security Adviser John Bolton writes that Trump told him in August of last year that he wanted to continue holding military aid to Ukraine until its newly elected president helped with investigations into his potential rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter (CNN). Trump’s purported statement, as described by Bolton, would directly link the US military aid stoppage with the President’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his political rival. This would thoroughly undermine a key pillar of Trump’s impeachment defence that the two circumstances are unrelated. There is absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe Biden or his son, Hunter in Ukraine, and Joe Biden has repeatedly defended his son and himself. Bolton spokeswoman Sarah Tinsley said the draft of the book “was transmitted to the White House for pre-publication review by the National Security Council.” Someone must have, therefore, leaked the contents to the New York Times, not a great favourate of the president. More importantly, revelations about the contents of Bolton’s manuscript draft are likely to heighten calls from Democrats for Bolton to testify in the ongoing Senate impeachment trial. Bolton himself has said he would give testimony if he’s subpoenaed. Trump and his defence team my attempt to block this claiming ‘executive privilege’. Democrats need four Republicans to vote with them [ 47 + 4 = 51/ simple majority in the 100-member Senate] in favour of subpoenas for witnesses or new evidence in order to extend the trial and gather new evidence in order to extend the trial and gather new information. The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com