Lisa Murkowski comes out against impeachment witnesses, putting Trump on path to acquittal

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: FOX NEWS

URL: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/murkowski-comes-out-against-impeachment-witnesses-putting-trump-on-path-to-acquittal



Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski came out Friday against calling witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial, all but assuring the Senate will move to wrap up proceedings with a likely acquittal in a matter of days, if not hours.

“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed,” said Murkowski, a key moderate senator who has been closely watched on the witness question.

The announcement came after Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who also had been on the fence on the issue, announced late Thursday that he would not support additional witnesses in Trump's "shallow, hurried and wholly partisan” trial.

Right now, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah are the only GOP senators to signal support for witnesses. Presuming Democrats vote as a bloc and no other Republicans defect, this would leave the pro-witness side with just 49 votes.

The Senate is expected to vote on the witness question later Friday. From there, proceedings could drag on through Friday night and into the weekend – and possibly beyond – but it takes a two-thirds supermajority to convict a president.

Few senators have publicly budged from party lines during the course of the trial, leaving impeachment managers far short of the votes needed to convict barring some extraordinary turn.



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[Cyber Liberty]

Thanks for posting this, @SirLinksALot!   I think you asked about this...

[libertybele]

It would make for a really nice weekend if they were to acquit today. 

[Jazzhead]

Sen. Lisa. Murkowski - a profile in courage. 

She is going to be vilified for this.   And she did it to spare the Chief Justice from having to break a tie,  and to thrust him and the Court into a political maelstrom.



This is true selflessness, and patriotism.  I am saying this because she is going to be attacked in the vilest of ways because the scorched-earth Dems are sick and can't let it go.   Especially Liz Warren, who made the bleep move of putting Justice Roberts on the spot.  Now THERE is a moral pygmy.

I am so proud of what Sen. Murkowskl did.  God bless her.

[Cyber Liberty]

Sen. Lisa. Murkowski - a profile in courage. 

She is going to be vilified for this.   And she did it to spare the Chief Justice from having to break a tie,  and to thrust him and the Court into a political maelstrom.



This is true selflessness, and patriotism.  I am saying this because she is going to be attacked in the vilest of ways because the scorched-earth Dems are sick and can't let it go.   Especially Liz Warren, who made the bleep move of putting Justice Roberts on the spot.  Now THERE is a moral pygmy.

I am so proud of what Sen. Murkowskl did.  God bless her.

What tie?  These are motions, and if they don't get 51 votes, they fail.  A 50/50 tie means the Motion fails, same as 40/60 against.  Roberts clarified this in a statement this afternoon, that he won't be dragged into a tie-breaking role.