I’d jot down the lyrics to the song “The End” by The Doors, but we all know the Democrats will not stop investigating President Donald Trump.
The Senate kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. They will vote on witnesses and additional documents. If that fails, which it likely will, the chamber will vote on the articles of impeachment.
Plus they want their own witnesses:
“We did not have the opportunity to cross-examine them,” he said. “This isn’t going to happen, if witnesses are called, in a week. He then accused House Democrats of rushing their case and not trying hard enough in court to enforce subpoenas to get witnesses to testify in their investigation. “This idea that they haven’t had witnesses, that’s their smokescreen,” Mr. Sekulow said. “Even with all of those witnesses, it doesn’t add up to an impeachable offense.”
He said: “The Senate is not here to do the investigatory work that the House didn’t do. Where there’s been a process that denied all due process, that produced a record that cannot be relied upon. And the reaction from this body should be to reject the articles of impeachment, and not the condone and put its imprimatur on the way the proceedings were handled in the House.”
Rep. Adam Schiff used his opening remarks to bring up the latest NYT article about John Bolton’s book manuscript. Weird how they all now love Bolton and find him trustworthy:
“Just as we predicted, and it didn’t require any great act of clairvoyance, the facts will come out. They will continue to come out. And the question before you today is whether they will come out in time for you to make a complete and informed judgment as to the guilt or innocence of the President,” Schiff said.Schiff added: “So here you have the President saying John Bolton is not telling the truth. Let’s find out. Let’s put John Bolton under oath. Let’s find out who is telling the truth. A trial is supposed to be a quest for the truth. Let’s not fear what we will learn,” Schiff added.According to the Times, Bolton wrote in a manuscript that Trump gave him the instructions in May. The conversation also included acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and White House lawyer Pat Cipollone.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) announced she will vote no in regard to witnesses and documents.
The session has just started.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) explained how all of this could leak into next week:
“My guess is it probably is going to carry us over to the first part of next week, but obviously we have the Iowa caucuses on February the 3rd, and we have the State of the Union the next day,” Cornyn said to reporters this morning when asked if he knows of any measures that could be put forth to keep the trial going past today. “So I think for all sorts of reasons, it’s probably a good idea to bring this thing to a close in the near future.”
After closing arguments the senators can offer motions. If the Democrats pile on the motions it could slow down the process and delay the vote on witnesses.
Aides on both sides of the aisle do not “expect a vote to acquit President Trump today.” So it looks like it will definitely rollover to Saturday.
Then the trial could conflict with the Iowa caucuses on Monday and Trump’s SOTU on Tuesday.
People have concentrated on the Republicans, but what about the Democrats from red states? Experts consider Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) vulnerable:
Sen. Doug Jones, a vulnerable Democrat from Alabama, said he is “pretty close” to making a decision on if he’ll vote on convicting President Trump, but he told CNN: “I gotta get my head straight and go from there.”He declined to say where he was leaning.”I’m pulling all my notes, I’m pulling together. I’m replaying what I know — the evidence. I had leanings the whole time, you go back and forth and so I’m just pulling it together … I did that all last night for the last few nights … I hadn’t slept very much,” he said.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made it known he wants to hear from witnesses. But it would not shock me if he voted to acquit Trump.
The Senate has four hours to debate over witnesses and documents. Each party gets two hours. The vote should happen between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET.
If they vote no on the motion, the Republican leaders “say they will press late into the night and into early Saturday morning to try to cast final votes on the two articles of impeachment before adjourning.”
The Senate wrapped up the 16-hour question-and-answer session last night.
The Democrats need no defections and four Republican senators to vote with them to pass a motion to call witnesses and introduce new evidence/documents.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said last night they will vote yes on that motion.
Retiring Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander said he will vote no on the motion.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski will announce her decision this morning, but we all believe she will vote yes.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY