WASHINGTON, DC—Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s potential testimony in the Trump impeachment trial is like a gun in a Chekov play. “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall,” the Russian writer famously said, “then in the following one it should be fired.”

The shots finally rang out Sunday night, when the New York Times published a report about the contents of Bolton’s forthcoming book: “President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens.”

Bolton’s reported recollection of events was suddenly a smoking elephant gun in the room as the trial reconvened Monday. The president’s lawyers pointedly ignored it throughout their afternoon of presentations.

“Anyone who spoke with the president said the president made it clear there was no linkage” between the investigations and the aid, lawyer Mike Purpura said on behalf of President Donald Trump at one point.

Kicking off the day, Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow made what might have been an oblique reference to the revelations when he said “we do not deal with speculation; allegations which are not based on evidentiary standards.” Late in the evening, Alan Dershowitz very briefly mentioned it directly to say the conduct Bolton describes is not, in his opinion, impeachable.

Outside the Senate chamber, Bolton was the main topic — and how could he not be? A key peg of Trump’s case is that no witnesses have testified that they directly heard the president tie aid to Ukraine to the political investigations he was allegedly after. Meanwhile, the key drama in the trial so far has been about whether any further testimony (especially from Bolton) was required. The Bolton bombshell was bound to change things.

Mitt Romney, one of the Republicans who had previously said he’d be open to hearing from Bolton and other witnesses, said early on that it was “increasingly likely” that enough Republicans would vote with Democrats to hear testimony from Bolton.

Lindsey Graham, one of the president’s staunchest defenders and an advocate of a speedy acquittal in the trial, suggested he wanted to see what was in Bolton’s manuscript, leaving open the possibility of hearing testimony from Bolton and others.

Trump flatly denied he had such a conversation with Bolton. “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” the president tweeted.

It has always appeared nearly impossible that the required 20 Republicans would vote with Democrats to convict the president and remove him from office, so much of the debate so far has been about admitting new testimony from Bolton and others. Only four Republican votes would be required to allow such testimony.

Over the weekend, it seemed increasingly unlikely that enough Republican senators would vote to hear new evidence. Instead, it appeared they would rush toward the president’s preference to have the trial wrapped up this week without hearing from any witnesses. News of Bolton’s book might change that calculation.

It did not appear to change the strategy of the president’s lawyers, who continued their case, claiming that Trump put no conditions on aid to Ukraine and wanted investigations because of more general and justified concerns about corruption in the country.

Ken Starr, the lead investigator in the Clinton impeachment, argued on Trump’s behalf that the country had become too ready to impeach presidents for partisan reasons and outlined a theory that a violation of criminal law was a necessary precondition for impeachment. (“Will a law professor agree with this? No,” he acknowledged.)

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Later, Pam Bondi, another Trump lawyer, went on the attack, attempting to justify the president’s apparent obsession with investigating the company Joe Biden’s son worked for, though all the witnesses who have testified have said the allegations against Hunter Biden are without merit.

Still, despite Trump’s lawyers’ attempt to ignore Bolton, his potential testimony dominated the day.

As the proceedings got underway, Senate Chaplain Barry Black quoted the Gospel of John in his prayer, asking that the senators should heed the words: “And you will know the truth. And the truth shall make you free.”

It seems increasingly likely that the public will soon see evidence that might help discern the truth. Whether or not senators choose to hear it may determine whether voters — and history — will see this trial as legitimate or a farce.

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