Dems ask why Bolton not discussed during arguments

Senators faced mounting pressure Monday to summon John Bolton to testify at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial even as Trump's lawyers brushed past extraordinary new allegations from Trump's former national security adviser and focused instead on corruption in Ukraine and historical arguments for acquittal. After Trump's legal team finished their arguments for the day, Democratic Senators said the arguments avoided key questions they wanted to be answered.

"They're going toward trying to confuse and distract. They don't want to go to the facts," said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Sen. Mazie Hirono echoed Blumenthal's complaints. "They're still not referring to Bolton saying that there was a connection between withholding the aid and the investigations. That is the crux of the charges," she said.

The revelation clouded White House hopes for a swift end to the impeachment trial, fueling Democratic demands for witnesses and possibly pushing more Republican lawmakers to agree. It also distracted from hours of arguments from Trump's lawyers, who declared anew that no witness has testified to direct knowledge that Trump's delivery of aid was contingent on investigations into Democrats. Bolton appeared poised to say exactly that if called on by the Senate to appear.