Trump Will Invoke Executive Privilege to Block Bolton Testimony

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said the White House plans to invoke executive privilege to prevent former National Security Adviser John Bolton from testifying in the Senate impeachment trial expected to begin next week.

“I think you have to for the sake of the office,” Trump said in an interview Friday with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham when asked whether he would take steps to stop the possible testimony.

“You can’t be in the White House as president -- future, I’m talking about future, many future presidents -- and have a security adviser, anybody having to do with security, and legal, and other things” testify, Trump said.

The comments contradicted remarks from Trump on Thursday. The president said he didn’t plan to block Bolton from testifying: “I don’t stop it.”

Bolton said Monday he would testify if subpoenaed during Trump’s impeachment trial, injecting fresh drama into the proceedings, which have been delayed as Democrats demanded that key figures -- including Bolton -- appear as witnesses.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will prepare to send articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate next week after failing to secure any concessions on the Senate trial from Republicans.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jordan Fabian in Washington at jfabian6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Justin Blum

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