“Senators who opposed hearing from these witnesses, when their testimony would have better informed a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the president, will be hard pressed to explain why,” the House impeachment managers said in a joint statement. “Senators chose instead to set a dangerous precedent that will have long-lasting repercussions for the United States Congress, the balance of powers, and our democracy as a whole.”
The vote represented a major victory for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Trump, both of whom have been calling for Republicans to reject the motion and move toward ending the trial. Capping off nearly three marathon weeks of Trump’s impeachment trial, the Senate will hold closing arguments Monday and will vote Wednesday afternoon on the two impeachment articles against the president.
Late Friday night, Senate Democrats launched one final attempt to subpoena Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and other senior officials and documents. Democrats offered four amendments to the final rules resolution governing the conclusion of the trial, but each failed to gather the necessary 51 votes.
Murkowski released a statement earlier on Friday saying she would not support hearing new witness testimony, while Alexander announced late Thursday night that he would not support the Democratic-led effort for witnesses.
The decision by Murkowski also absolved Chief Justice John Roberts from having to decide whether to break a 50-50 tie, a controversial action that would have brought complaints from the losing side.
“The House chose to send articles of impeachment that are rushed and flawed. I carefully considered the need for additional witnesses and documents, to cure the shortcomings of its process, but ultimately decided that I will vote against considering motions to subpoena,” the Alaska Republican said in a statement.
Even after the outcome became apparent, House Democrats prosecuting the impeachment case made a final plea on the Senate floor for additional witnesses and documents. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead impeachment manager, said refusing their request would “rob this country of a fair trial” and set a precedent that will be cited by future judges and presidents. He also warned senators that new evidence will come out.
“No matter what you decide to do here, whether you decide to hear witnesses and relevant testimony, the facts will come out in the end,” he said. “Even over the course of this trial we have seen so many additional facts come to light. The facts will come out.”
Trump’s lead personal attorney Jay Sekulow rejected the notion that new witnesses were necessary, and said that if the Senate opened the door to such testimony, Trump’s team would seek to cross-examine all of the 17 witnesses House Democrats called in their impeachment investigation — from former National Security Council official Fiona Hill to former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Source: politico.com
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