Lawyer indicates Bolton won’t testify in impeachment probe

lawyer for former national security viser John Bolton signaled Thursday that Bolton will t testify anytime soon in House impeachment inquiry.

Democratic lawmakers want to hear next week from Bolton over ministration’s approach to Ukraine that is central to House proceedings that could le to impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Charles Cooper, Bolton’s lawyer, was in federal court Thursday on behalf of ar client whose testimony House also wants.

client is former Bolton deputy Charles Kupperman, who wants a federal judge to resolve wher he can be forced to testify since he was a close viser to Trump.

Cooper said Bolton could be ded to case, which is before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. Cooper has previously said that Bolton would t testify voluntarily. A House-issued subpoena would put him in exact same situation as Kupperman.

Leon first brought up Bolton, asking wher ding him to case would cause any delays. Leon said he hopes to issue a ruling by late December.

Cooper said re would be delay since legal issue would be same, wher a small circle of president’s visers are “absolutely immune” from having to testify.

Kupperman went to federal court because he “is in a basic Catch-22,” summoned to testify by House and forbidden to do so by White House, Cooper said.

Kupperman doesn’t really care how Leon decides case, but he wants a judge to do so, Cooper said.

same question of immunity for Trump visers also was being weighed in ar Washington courtroom Thursday. House Democrats and White House are locked in a legal struggle over a House subpoena for testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn.

re was indication when U.S. District Judge Ketanji Jackson would rule.