Despite reports Tuesday of John Bolton's delivering a recent speech highly critical of President Donald Trump's foreign policy, close friends of the former White House national security adviser were unanimous in their view any testimony he gives the House impeachment inquiry will help rather than hurt Trump.

Bolton so far has signaled he will not testify before the committee, whose proceedings are scheduled to begin Wednesday. But Bolton-watchers agree this could change and he could be appearing before the panel chaired by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., before long.

"It is my belief that John Bolton will not say anything against President Trump," Bruce Herschensohn, former Nixon White House staffer and Pepperdine University professor, told Newsmax. "I am convinced that John Bolon's character wouldn't allow it and right now he is rehearsing to himself how to say the truth without any negative word regarding Trump."

Herschensohn, also the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from California in 1992, was an early Bolton-for-President booster.

David Keene, past chairman of the American Conservative Union and former president of the National Rifle Association, agreed.

"John will, I am sure, testify forthrightly, but is as cognizant of the proprieties and privileges involved," said Keene, who has known Bolton since the former Trump administration official was an intern in the office of Vice President Spiro Agnew (on whose staff Keene served).

Keene pointed out "one of John's great strengths is that he has always been a 'truth teller.' He is as unlikely to volunteer information hurtful to the president as he is to cover-up any concerns he might have had about activities he witnessed."

"It is precisely his devotion to the truth that made the Democrats so unable for a time to decide whether to call him at all," Keene told us.

Morton Blackwell, Republican National Committeeman from Virginia and another longtime Bolton friend, told us he felt "coming events will reveal that John, like almost all American conservatives, has concluded that President Trump has proved to be a significant net benefit to our principles."

According to a report from NBC News on Tuesday, Bolton spoke last week at a private gathering at Morgan Stanley's investment event in Miami, Florida. Several guests told NBC that Bolton was highly critical of Trump applying his business acumen to foreign policy and hinted strongly the [resident's U.S. policy toward Turkey is motivated by personal or financial interests.

Bolton's attorneys have said he will testify if a federal court rules he can defy the White House's position that a present or former staffer cannot testify before Congress.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.