Source: AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Sorry folks. It looks like this trial is not over yet. Although
the Senate voted down the option to call forth more witnesses
Friday night, the actual vote on the two articles of impeachment, abuse of
power and obstruction of Congress, has been delayed until next Wednesday at 4
p.m. ET, following a few rounds of closing arguments. The new schedule means
the vote is arriving the day after President Trump is delivering his fourth
State of the Union.
The White House predicted the timing will give Trump the
opportunity to deliver a "one-two punch."
WH's Eric Ueland on
State of the Union, followed by impeachment verdict votes back to back: It's a
strong one-two punch..We believe that both these elements you'r geoing to see
play out next week help bring focus to the president successes, where he's going
to take the country.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) put an extra nail in the
coffin for the Democrats' plan to call additional witnesses when she revealed
her "no" vote on Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that this
should be the last straw. The House Democrats had their chance to try and make
a case and they blew it.
"There is no need for the Senate to re-open the
investigation which the House Democratic majority chose to conclude and which
the Managers themselves continue to describe as “overwhelming” and “beyond any
doubt,” McConnell said in a statement on Friday. "Never in
Senate history has this body paused an impeachment trial to pursue additional
witnesses with unresolved questions of executive privilege that would require
protracted litigation. We have no interest in establishing such a new
precedent, particularly for individuals whom the House expressly chose not to
pursue."
Democrats have been clamoring to call former national
security adviser John Bolton as a witness, especially after the manuscript for
his new book leaked. In it, Bolton reportedly claims that President Trump did tie
Ukrainian aid to an investigation of Joe and Hunter Biden and their ties to a
corrupt Ukrainian gas company, Burisma Holdings.
Trump responded by sharing a
clip of Bolton telling the press that his phone call with Ukrainian President
Zelensky was nothing but "warm and cordial" and that Trump was intent
on rooting out corruption. He said nothing about his re-election.
