WASHINGTON – The Senate began on Saturday to hear the final arguments in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, after reaching a bipartisan agreement to skip the hearing of witness statements.
Both sides are eager to end the trial, with Democrats needing time in the Senate to advance a Covid-19 aid package and Republicans wanting to leave behind the January 6 Capitol riot that Trump is accused of inciting.
But shortly after the Senate met again on Saturday, House impeachment administrators made the surprise decision to request the testimony of a Republican member of Congress who said Trump had rejected a request for help during the violence.
The Senate voted mainly according to party lines, 55 to 45, to begin the process of allowing witnesses to be considered. Five Republicans – Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – supported Democratic senators in the motion.
Trump’s defense team was angered by the call for witnesses and promised to demand “at least more than 100 depositions” if the Democrats brought any. After a few hours of delay, the two sides agreed to an agreement to register a statement by Deputy Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., As evidence.
The deal to withdraw witnesses came after Senator Mike Rounds, RS.D., warned that fulfilling the motions could lead to the trial “until March” and ban the Senate from conducting business.
He said that witnesses would be a waste of time. “Everyone knows it won’t make a difference anyway,” he told reporters.
After a break, the impeachment manager, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Read Herrera Beutler’s statement aloud again before Democratic managers continued with their final arguments.
Herrera Beutler, one of 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment, released a statement Friday night detailing what she said, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House minority leader, over a phone call he had with Trump during the Capitol Attack. According to Herrera Beutler, Trump rejected McCarthy’s request for help and supported the protesters.
“When McCarthy finally reached the president on January 6 and asked him to cancel the riot in a public and forceful way, the president initially repeated the falsehood that it was the antifa that violated the Capitol,” said Herrera Beutler, McCarthy told her. .
According to Herrera Beutler: “McCarthy refuted that and told the president that they were Trump supporters. That’s when, according to McCarthy, the president said, ‘Well, Kevin, I think these people are more upset about the election than you are.’ “
Raskin initially said he wanted to subpoena Herrera Beutler to testify by teleconference and subpoena any notes she had made on the call, leaving the door open for other subpoenas as well.
“Needless to say, this is an additional critical piece of corroborating evidence, further confirming the charges before you, as well as the president’s intentional neglect of duty and abandonment of duty as the United States commander-in-chief, his state of mind and his more. inciting insurrection, “Raskin told senators.
Trump’s actions and intentions during the riot largely remain a mystery to the public and a key issue for many senators.
Several Republicans seen as undecided voters at the trial asked Trump’s lawyers on Friday about what the then president did to stop the turmoil, but the defense refused to respond, saying they did not know why Democrats acted too quickly to accuse Trump. before an investigation could be completed.
Seventeen Republicans would need to join all Democrats in order for the Senate to condemn Trump for a single impeachment article accusing him of inciting the January 6 riot, and many doubted that any new information from witnesses would rock so many Republican senators.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Told colleagues on Saturday before the witnesses’ vote that he plans to vote to absolve Trump.
Julie Tsirkin, Monica Alba, Frank Thorp V and Sahil Kapur contributed.