Democrats React with Fury to Bolton's Claims of Trump's Quid Pro Quo with China

Strategic Insights -

Congressional Democrats erupted in outrage on Wednesday after excerpts from a new book by former national security adviser John Bolton revealed that President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him win the 2020 U.S. election. Bolton's book, scheduled for release next week, details a June 2019 summit dinner where Trump told Xi that an increase in agricultural purchases by Beijing from American farmers would aid his electoral prospects. The revelations have sparked demands from Democrats for answers and investigations into Trump's alleged quid pro quo with China, with some lawmakers calling for Bolton to testify directly.

Key Takeaways:

  • Bolton's book claims that Trump asked Xi to help him win the 2020 U.S. election by increasing agricultural purchases from American farmers.
  • The alleged quid pro quo deal was discussed during a summit dinner in June 2019, where Xi also defended China's construction of camps to house up to 1 million Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
  • Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the revelations make Senate Republicans' actions on impeachment look worse and demonstrated that Democrats were correct to push for Trump's impeachment on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.
  • The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., sent a letter to the executive vice president of the Trump Organization asking for a full accounting of Trump's business arrangements with ICBC, a Chinese state-controlled bank.
  • Menendez's counterpart in the House, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said the House will continue to look for answers about Trump's abuses and corruption.
  • Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is interested in investigating Trump's attempt to interfere in a criminal investigation as a favor for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as detailed in the book.
  • Other lawmakers, including Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., saw the revelations as a political rallying cry for Democrats, emphasizing the need to beat Republicans in the 2020 elections.
  • Senate Republicans defended their decision to acquit Trump during the impeachment trial, with Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee saying he didn't need more evidence to be convinced of Trump's guilt.

Statistics:

  • 1 million: The estimated number of Uighur Muslims being held in China's Xinjiang camps, as defended by President Xi Jinping during the June 2019 summit dinner.
  • 2020: The year in which Trump allegedly asked Xi to help him win the U.S. presidential election.
  • June 2019: The month in which the summit dinner took place, where Trump and Xi discussed the alleged quid pro quo deal.
  • 2019: The year in which Trump Organization executive vice president, Donald Trump Jr., was involved in business dealings with ICBC, a Chinese state-controlled bank.

Sources:

  • The Washington Post
  • Bolton's book, scheduled for release next week
  • Engel's statement about the phone call with Bolton
  • Menendez's letter to the executive vice president of the Trump Organization
  • Trump's speech at the 2020 RNC Convention
  • Senate Republicans' acquittal vote during the impeachment trial