Senators have been debating over whether or not to call witnesses for the impeachment trial for a while now. Republicans have repeatedly warned Democrats that if Democrats and GOP moderates vote to subpoena Bolton, Mulvaney and other senior Trump advisers, they’ll respond in kind by calling controversial witnesses such as Hunter Biden. Graham, however, said Friday he will “vote against it” even if his colleagues introduce the motion. Graham acknowledged he doesn’t yet know of three other Republicans planning to vote against subpoenaing Hunter Biden, but his opposition to the move all but guarantees that it won’t happen.
“I need some Republicans who would say as much as I want to know more about Burisma and the Bidens, this is not the venue. I’ve got to find four,” he said. “I don’t want to call Hunter Biden. I don’t want to call Joe Biden. I want someone to look at this when this is done. I don’t think it’s wrong for us to look at the Biden connection in Ukraine, the $3 million given to the vice president’s son by the most corrupt company in Ukraine.”
He added that he will oppose subpoenas for both Joe and Hunter Biden because “this needs to end,” referring to the impeachment trial. He added that it would be more appropriate for a special investigator such as former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Trump, or someone of his nonpartisan stature to do so.
Several GOP senators have already spoken out to indicate that they are interested in calling Hunter Biden. Senator Rand Paul has argued that Trump’s defence team should be allowed to call whatever witnesses they want.
“The president gets to call anybody he thinks would be good for his defence, the prosecution can call who they want, but I don’t think we should selectively call witnesses that don't like the president,” Paul said last week.
Sen. John Kennedy told reporters that he hasn’t made a decision yet on calling additional witnesses, but he predicts that Trump’s lawyers would want to cross-examine the Bidens and the whistleblower, whose report kicked off the impeachment debates.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also opened the door to subpoenaing Hunter Biden noting that he “can’t imagine that only the witnesses that our Democratic colleagues would want to call would be called.”
