Donald Trump’s impeachment trial at the senate is set to end next week Wednesday after the senators on Friday night, voted 51-49 against calling witnesses to testify in the ongoing impeachment trial.
The witnesses are needed by Democrats to corroborate House of Reps allegations that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress by withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations into his political rival, Joe Biden.
Following a dramatic Friday where new revelations came from former National Security advisor John Bolton saying Trump told him to assist his pressure campaign on Ukraine, and that White House counsel Pat Cipollone was in the room at the time,
Senators arrived in the Capitol for four hours of debate on whether to call witnesses.
Two Republicans, Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, joined Democrats in their push for witnesses – but it was not enough as Republicans had majority votes of 51 who voted against calling witnesses while 49 other senators voted in favour of witnesses.
A final vote on Trump’s acquittal will now take place on Wednesday 4pm
which will be after the president’s State of the Union address.
‘Americans will know that this trial was not a real trial,’ said Sen. Chuck Schumer immediately after the vote, calling it ‘a tragedy on a very large scale.’
Schumer called it a ‘perfidy, a grand tragedy, one of the worst tragedies that the Senate has ever overcome. America will remember this day, unfortunately, where the Senate did not live up to its responsibilities … and went along with a sham trial.’
Republicans Mitt Romney and Susan Collins each voted ‘aye’ and voted for witnesses. Both had indicated they wanted to hear from Bolton.
Two other key Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, voted to oppose calling witnesses.
