Democrats’ Long-Shot Hopes of Hearing Witnesses Just Went Down in Flames
Credit to Author: Greg Walters| Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 19:16:55 +0000
WASHINGTON — Democrats’ final, long-shot hopes of calling new witnesses in President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial appeared dashed on Friday after yet another moderate GOP senator said she’d oppose any such measure.
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced she will vote against calling new witnesses because she doesn’t think the Republican-dominated Senate will provide for a fair trial — and that’s “sad.”
Close Senate observers have Murkowski carefully as a possible “yes” vote with Democrats for witnesses, in a vote expected later Friday. Now that she’s out, Democrats will need a wild miracle to succeed.
The senator from Alaska went down with parting shots for everyone. She decried both House Democrats for rushing Trump’s impeachment, and the Senate for failing to ensure a legitimate consideration of the facts.
“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,” she wrote in a scathing statement Friday. “I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything.”
And that’s just pretty much terrible for everyone, she said, Democrat and Republican alike. But there’s use dragging things out.
“It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed,” she wrote.
Cover: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing on March 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
This article originally appeared on VICE US.