“Nothing in the Bolton revelations — even if true — would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense. That is clear from the history. That is clear from the language of the Constitution. You cannot turn conduct that is not impeachable into impeachable conduct simply by using words like ‘quid pro quo’ and ‘personal benefit.’” “We deal with publicly available information. We do not deal with speculation, allegations that are not based on evidentiary standards at all.” “Impeachment is hell. Or at least presidential impeachment is hell. Those of us who lived through the Clinton impeachment, including members of this body, full well understand that a presidential impeachment is tantamount to domestic war, albeit thankfully protected by our beloved First Amendment. A war of words and a war of ideas.” “So yes, Mayor Giuliani was President Trump’s personal attorney, but he was not on a political errand. As he has stated repeatedly and publicly, he was doing what good defense attorneys do. He was following a lead from a well-known private investigator.” “Anyone who spoke with the president said that the president made clear that there was no linkage between security assistance and investigations. There is another category of evidence demonstrating that the pause on security assistance was distinct and unrelated to investigations.” “I can’t begin to tell you how John Bolton’s testimony would ultimately play on a final decision. But it’s relevant, and therefore I’d like to hear it. I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton. And whether there are other witnesses and documents, why, that’s another matter. But I think John Bolton’s relevance to our decision has become, has become increasingly clear.” “Would the trial, the Senate trial be fair without John Bolton testifying?” “I think it’s important to be able to hear from John Bolton for us to be able to make an impartial judgment.”