Q-and-A continues today in the impeachment trial of President Trump. In Wednesday’s proceedings, Senator Amy Klobuchar and others asked:
Should the Senate assume wrongdoing by the president because he won’t let key witnesses testify? Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff responded, “Courts have long recognized that when a party has relevant evidence within his control which he fails to produce, that failure gives rise to an inference that that evidence is unfavorable to him.” But the president’s deputy counsel, Patrick Philbin says, “The ‘Missing Witness Rule’ does not apply when there’s been a valid assertion of a privilege or other immunity for keeping the witness out of court.”
Democrats say in the case of the president’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, the Senate doesn’t have to infer anything — all Republicans have to do is subpoena Bolton to testify.