A lawyer for former national security adviser John Bolton said that he was “part of many relevant meetings and conversations” that pertain to the current House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump that have yet to be made public.
The attorney, Charles Cooper, made the statement in a letter suggesting that Bolton will appear before a House panel seeking to depose him only if a federal judge orders him to appear.
The letter, which was sent to the House’s top attorney, attempts to distinguish Bolton and former deputy Charles Kupperman from other former and current White House officials who have either testified so far before various House committees and impeachment investigators.
Cooper says in the letter that Bolton and Kupperman, unlike others, have given the president direct advice on a routine basis and therefore will likely be asked by lawmakers during any congressional appearance to provide sensitive foreign policy and national security information.
“After all, Dr. Kupperman was the Deputy National Security Advisor to the President throughout the period to your inquiry,” the letter states.
“The same is true, of course, of Ambassador Bolton, who was the National Security Advisor to the President, and who was personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which you have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far,” the letter continued.
Cooper represents both Bolton and Kupperman, the latter of whom has sued both House Democrats and the Trump administration. He seeks federal court guidance as to which directives he is constitutionally obligated to follow, congressional subpoenas to testify or White House instructions not to testify.
“As I emphasized in my previous responses to letters from the House Chairs, Dr. Kupperman stands ready, as does Ambassador Bolton, to testify if the Judiciary resolves the conflict in favor of the Legislative Branch’s position respecting such testimony,” Cooper wrote.