The Senate Could Acquit Trump Today as Republicans Look Set to Reject Witnesses

The Senate could acquit President Donald Trump on Friday following reports that Republicans may now have enough votes to reject witnesses. Democrats needed four GOP senators to join them in voting to hear from witnesses, but one possible vote was ruled out on Thursday when Senator Lamar Alexander said he would vote against it.

In a statement, Alexander, who represent Tennessee, said that Democrats had proven Trump acted inappropriately but that his actions did not rise to an impeachable.

“There is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitution’s high bar for an impeachable offence,” he said.

“The question then is not whether the President did it, but whether the United States Senate or the American people should decide what to do about what he did. I believe that the Constitution provides that the people should make that decision in the presidential election that begins in Iowa on Monday.”

Unless some Republican senators vote with Democrats on Friday, no witnesses will be brought before the impeachment trial. Blocking witnesses would be unprecedented and acquitting an impeached president without hearing from fact witnesses will be a historic abrogation of responsibility.