Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday threatened to call former special envoy Kurt Volker to testify if House Democrats do not release the full transcript of his testimony behind closed doors last week.
{mosads}The South Carolina senator posted in a tweet that if the Democrats do not produce the transcript, “it will be an abuse of power.”
“If this continues, I will call Volker before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify publicly to ensure the full story is told.”
Graham linked to a Fox News report of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) requesting Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) release a transcript of Volker’s testimony before the committee about the controversial call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president.
House Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry against Trump after a whistleblower report detailed that in the call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked for an investigation into 2020 opponent Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Days before the call, the president withheld military aid to the country, prompting debate over whether there was quid pro quo involved.
Text messages have surfaced that Volker was connecting the president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani with Ukrainian officials, prompting him to be called to testify in the House last week.
Volker provided messages to the House showing U.S. officials participating in Trump’s requests to dig into Biden’s interactions in the country.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has previously hinted that quid pro quo is not necessary to show what the president did was wrong.