GOP senators defend votes on impeachment evidence
Senate Republicans on Sunday acknowledged President Donald Trump was wrong to pressure Ukraine for his own political benefit, even as they defended their decision to prohibit new evidence in the impeachment trial while pressing ahead with the president’s all-butcertain acquittal.
The remarks from key Republicans — including Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Joni Ernst of Iowa — came after the Trump administration revealed the existence of emails that could shed light on the president’s reasons for withholding military aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to vote to acquit,” Mr. Alexander said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “I’m very concerned about any action that we could take that would establish a perpetual impeachment in the House of Representatives whenever the House was a different party than the president. That would immobilize the Senate.”
One Republican senator, a close ally of Mr. Trump, suggested a sweeping GOP counterattack following Wednesday’s vote to acquit the president.
“It’s going to happen in the coming weeks,” Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said of the counteroffensive in an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Mr. Graham outlined a plan that would include an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden, who is running for the 2020
Democratic presidential nomination, and a pursuit of the whistleblower whose account triggered the probe into Mr. Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine.
It was unclear whether other Senate committee chairs were on board with Mr. Graham’s proposal, however. The South Carolina Republican used his Sunday television appearance to make a direct appeal to Sen. James Risch, RIdaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Jim, if you’re watching the show, I hope you are … let’s call these people in. Eventually, we’ll get to Hunter Biden,” Mr. Graham said, referring to the former vice president’s son. He added: “We’re not going to let it go. Jim Risch, you need to start it.”
Mr. Risch’s office and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The crux of the impeachment case against Mr. Trump is whether he used $391 million in military aid, and a coveted White House meeting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as leverage to force the foreign leader to conduct political investigations, including one focused on Joe Biden.
In a July 25 call, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelenskiy to “do us a favor.”
Mr. Trump and administration officials repeatedly stonewalled House investigators, refusing to allow some witnesses to testify and to provide requested documents.
The House voted in December to impeach Mr. Trump, and in recent weeks, new evidence against him has emerged, including reports that former national security adviser John Bolton says there was a quid pro quo conditioning the aid on investigations by Ukraine that could help the president politically.