On Monday morning, a handful of GOP senators confirmed their intentions, including Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, John Kennedy of Louisiana and John Thune of South Dakota. Aides to Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Deb Fischer of Nebraska similarly confirmed their intention to acquit Trump.
In addition to the list of Republican senators who have already indicated their intentions, most of the remaining senators in the 53-member GOP caucus have strongly hinted they’ll support acquittal as well.
In many ways, the result was a foregone conclusion from the start. No House Republicans supported impeaching Trump when that chamber voted on Dec. 18, portending the near-impossible task facing Democrats seeking Trump’s removal. Twenty senators would have to break ranks to support conviction, and most have foreclosed that possibility.
The Senate is in the midst of the final formalities of the three-week trial: closing arguments from the House impeachment prosecutors and White House defense team, which will be followed by 10-minute floor speeches from senators who will make their final positions known. Trump’s acquittal on both charges against him is expected when the Senate votes at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
If there’s any suspense at all, it’s over whether a handful of centrist senators will break with their parties on one or both of the impeachment articles.
On the Democratic side, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama have not ruled out supporting acquittal. On the Republican side, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah haven’t ruled out a conviction. They were the only Republicans to vote in favor of hearing additional witnesses in the trial.
Those who have already declared their intention to vote to acquit the president hold a wide range of views on Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine. Some, like Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, have said the House proved its case but the claims are not impeachable. Others, like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have rejected the charges altogether, arguing that they are the product of a rushed and partisan investigation.
Source: politico.com
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