John Bolton's lawyer sends signal to House Dems that his client wants to testify

The attorney representing both former national security adviser John Bolton and former acting national security adviser Charles Kupperman indicated on Friday that both of his clients are willing to testify in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, according to CBS News reporter Rob Legare.

In a letter to House of Representatives General Counsel Douglas Letter, attorney Charles Cooper writes that both Bolton and Kupperman are ready "to testify if the Judiciary resolves the conflict in favor of the Legislative Branch's position respecting such testimony."

Cooper goes on to write that Democratic lawmakers "are mistaken" for saying that this deference to the judiciary is merely a stalling tactic intended to get his two clients off the hook for testifying.

"If the House chooses not to pursue through subpoena the testimony of Dr. Kupperman and Ambassador Bolton, let the record be clear: that is the House's decision," he says.

The letter seemingly confirms a report from earlier this week that claimed Bolton was "willing to defy" that Trump White House and testify in the impeachment inquiry so long as he is legally cleared to do so.

Bolton resigned in September, just after the still-anonymous whistleblower’s complaint against the president was filed with the intelligence community inspector general, who deemed it a “credible and urgent” threat.

Former National Security Council member Fiona Hill has testified that Bolton was wary of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to press Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden — and she said he labeled Giuliani’s campaign a “drug deal.”