Trump impeachment: President's acquittal almost certain as Senate votes not to call witnesses

Senators have voted not to hear witnesses in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, meaning the president’s acquittal on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress is now almost certain.

A motion that would have allowed members of the upper chamber to subpoena witness testimony and additional documents was defeated by 51 votes to 49.

The most senior Democrat in the Senate, minority leader Chuck Schumer, called it “one of the worst tragedies” the Senate had ever experienced.

Senators “turned away from truth and went along with a sham trial”, he told reporters after the vote. “If the president is acquitted without witnesses or documents, the acquittal will have no value.”

Only two Republicans – Utah senator and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and Maine’s Susan Collins – voted with the Democrats, something they had previously said they were planning to do.

Delaware Democratic Senator Tom Carper told reporters following the vote that Republican senators would not attempt to force a final vote on whether to convict or acquit the president as he headed to a closed-door caucus meeting in which Democratic members will discuss how they would like to see the next few days play out.

Mr Carper said it might take a “couple of weeks” to bring about an endgame. But congressional sources indicated there is interest on both sides in wrapping the proceedings as soon as next week, possibly by Wednesday evening.

Pushing the end of the trial to Wednesday means Mr Trump would be set to deliver his State of the Union address the night before, giving him a chance to mock the House Democrats who impeached him just hours before the Senate would be poised to clear him on both charges.

That possible scene would produce some of the most dramatic images in recent US political history, just the kind of made-for-television moment relished by the reality television star turned commander in chief, but no final decision about the trial’s conclusion has come into focus.

Republican senators also huddled in their own Capitol meeting room. Both sides are trying to hammer out an agreement under which the final days of the trial would operate, meaning guidelines for closing arguments, floor statements and the final votes on the two articles.

As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke with his members, his office put out a statement defending the vote against witnesses and saying the trial will end in a few days, but not specifying how or when.

“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,” the Kentucky Republican said.

“Senators will now confer among ourselves, with the House managers and with the president’s counsel to determine next steps as we prepare to conclude the trial in the coming days.”

Mr Trump – who earlier had seemed in good spirits as he left the White House with the first lady on their way to Mar-a-Lago – tweeted soon after the Senate vote, saying: “Democrats = 17 Witnesses. Republicans = 0 Witnesses.”

The president seemed to be complaining that the process had been one-sided and stacked against him, although he may also have been crowing that even with 17 witnesses testifying against him he was still almost certain to be acquitted.

Senators told reporters that a Wednesday completion was likely and they expected to vote on a revised rule stating that later on Friday night.

Senator Roy Blunt, an ally of Mr McConnell, told reporters that a final vote was expected at 4pm on Wednesday.

The aftermath of the witness vote and emerging plan – there are likely to be no weekend Senate sessions – quickly took on a 2020 campaign aspect. For one, the likely schedule means those senators who are still Democratic presidential nominees can return to the campaign trail with Monday night’s Iowa caucus nearing.

One, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, tweeted on Friday night: “Senate Republicans just failed the American people & broke their oath to the United States Constitution.”

Mr Trump was accused of abusing his position by pressuring the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations into his political rivals, and of obstructing the congressional investigation. He insisted he had done nothing wrong and said his accusers were involved in a politically-motivated hoax to stop him being re-elected in November.