Donald Trump appeared to be heading towards a swift acquittal today as efforts by his opponents to call witnesses in his impeachment trial were dealt a severe blow.
Democrats, who are outnumbered in the Senate by 47 to 53, needed four Republicans to rebel and vote with them today for witness testimony that would drag out proceedings for weeks.
Two of four “waverers”, Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, indicated they would vote with the Democrats. But a third potential rebel, Lamar Alexander, blew a hole through their plans by declaring he would vote against the motion.
It appeared to shut the door on potential bombshell testimony from Mr Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton.
Senator Alexander said that while he thought Mr Trump’s actions were “inappropriate” he did not consider them serious enough for impeachment.
“The constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the President from office and ban him from this year’s ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate,” he tweeted, adding: “If this shallow, hurried and wholly partisan impeachment were to succeed, it would rip the country apart, pouring gasoline on the fire of cultural divisions that already exist.”
In the event the vote is tied, Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial, could support the motion — but that was thought to be unlikely.
Mr Alexander’s announcement paved the way for a likely acquittal by the Senate as early as today.
Democrats had wanted to hear from Mr Bolton, who reportedly said Mr Trump told him directly that he was withholding US military aid to Kiev until it agreed to investigate his rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s involvement in a Ukrainian gas company.
The allegation — denied by Mr Trump — goes to the heart of the impeachment case against the President, who is accused of abuse of power. Mr Trump taunted his Democrat rivals last night as their case was unravelling.
Speaking at a raucous rally in Des Moines, Iowa — where the first vote in the Democrat presidential nomination race takes place on Monday — Mr Trump gloated: “While we’re proudly creating jobs and killing terrorists, congressional Democrats are consumed with partisan rage and obsessed with a deranged witch-hunt hoax.”
He continued: “We’re having probably the best years we’ve ever had in the history of our country — and I just got impeached!”
Frontrunners in the Democratic nomination race include Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
