It would not be a good idea for President Donald Trump to want numerous witnesses to testify during an impeachment trial, former Education Secretary Bill Bennett warned Tuesday.
"I think the president needs to consider whether it's a good idea to call a bunch of witnesses," Bennett, now a Fox News contributor, told "America's Newsroom." "If you call Rudy Giuliani or a bunch of other people you don't know what's going to happen. As it stands now the charges are weak. These two counts aren't going anywhere. He will be acquitted."
But if there are several witnesses and the trial is prolonged, said Bennett, "I don't think it's a good idea."
Trump said last Friday he "wouldn't mind a long process, because I'd like to see the whistleblower, who's a fraud" on the stand.
"I'll do whatever they want to do, it doesn't matter," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "I wouldn't mind a long process, because I'd like to see the whistleblower, who's a fraud."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and several other Republican leaders, however, prefer a quick impeachment trial. Tuesday morning, McConnell hit back at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who wrote a letter to McConnell calling for former National Security Adviser John Bolton, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and two other high-level aides to testify.
Bennett said Schumer wants more witnesses to testify because he "senses his case is weak."
"When these articles finally came down on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, they seemed very half-hearted and weak to me," he said. "It seemed that way to a lot of people. I think he knows he needs more."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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