Key Republicans could tip Trump trial vote toward calling witnesses
WASHINGTON — Key Republican senators who could tip President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial toward summoning more witnesses played an over-sized role in the final hours of debate Thursday night with pointed questions ahead of crucial votes.
A vote on witnesses, expected Friday, could lead to an abrupt end of the trial with the expected acquittal. Or it could bring days, if not weeks more argument as Democrats press to hear testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton and others.
Any four Republicans could join with Democrats to demand taking more time for testimony.
Sen. Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska drew a reaction when she asked simply: “Why should this body not call Ambassador Bolton?” GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee captured attention just before the dinner break when he questioned partisanship in the proceedings thus far. A spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press that Alexander would announce his decision on the witness vote shortly after the end of Thursday’s questions.
Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose vote on witnesses was considered in the balance, wanted to know why House Democrats withdrew a subpoena for a deputy national security adviser they wanted to hear from in the impeachment inquiry.
In response to Alexander and others, Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a congressional staffer during Watergate and now a House prosecutor, told the senators that the Nixon impeachment also started as a partisan inquiry. A bipartisan consensus emerged only after Republicans — including staunch Nixon supporters — saw enough evidence to change their minds, she said.
“They couldn’t turn away from the evidence that their president had committed abuse of power and they had to vote to impeach him,’’ Lofgren said. Richard Nixon resigned before he was impeached.
While disappointed that House Republicans did not join Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, she said the Senate — “the greatest deliberative body on the planet’’ — has a new opportunity.