WASHINGTON — A key GOP swing voter in the Senate said there’s “no need” to bring new evidence into President Trump’s impeachment trial, a development that means Democrats face an all-but-insurmountable challenge in their quest to bring new witnesses into Trump’s trial.
Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee indicated Thursday night he will oppose opening the door to new witnesses in a vote currently expected to come as soon as Friday.
“I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but 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 offense,” Alexander said in a statement.
Alexander argued that the House Democrats have proved the facts of their case against Trump with a “mountain of overwhelming evidence.” But he said those actions were simply “inappropriate,” and did not rise the level of an impeachable offense. New fact witnesses would be redundant to prove the president did it, and are therefore unnecessary, Alexander said.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, another key Republican swing vote, said she would vote for witnesses. But Democrats need four Republicans to break with party lines in order to bring witnesses to the chamber. And Alexander has been eyed as the crucial fourth vote.
Alexander’s statement therefore looked a lot like the death knell for Democratic hopes to hear from Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who’s said he’d be willing to answer a subpoena from the Senate if one arrives.
Bolton’s forthcoming book reportedly says Trump explicitly linked a freeze in military aid to Ukraine with demands that the country announce investigations into Democrats, including a top Democratic challenger against Trump for the presidency in the forthcoming election, former vice president Joe Biden.
That claim by Bolton would bolster the core accusation against Trump in their impeachment case against him. Last weekend, news of Bolton’s book exploded like a bombshell in Washington, scrambling Republican plans to clear Trump in the impeachment trial as soon as Friday.
Cover: Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, left, speaks with Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, as they arrive for a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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