The US Senate refused to question witnesses in the impeachment proceedings against President Trump in a close vote. The final vote on the allegations should now take place on Wednesday.
By Claudia Sarre, ARD Studio Washington
It happened the way it had to. A triumph for the Republicans. A defeat for the Democrats.
The presiding judge John Roberts asked the crucial question in the Senate Hall: Should there be a subpoena and the inspection of documents in the impeachment procedure or not?
Until a few hours before the vote, it was not clear how the senators would vote. Ex-security advisor John Bolton’s revelations had puzzled some Republicans. Only when the last wobbly candidate, Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, announced that she also wanted to vote no in the witness question, did a majority for the Republicans emerge.
Conceivably close voting result
In the end, 51 senators voted against the admission of witnesses, 49 voted in favor. A very scarce result. The Democrats were outraged. Senator Bernie Sanders spoke of a sad day for democracy. Chuck Schumer, democratic minority leader in the Senate, called the decision a tragedy: If the president is acquitted without witnesses and without access to documents, the acquittal has no value, he added disappointedly.
There had originally been speculation that the impeachment procedure could end at night. There were hours of negotiations behind closed doors. Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell finally suggested, as at least a small concession to the Democrats, that the closing arguments should be postponed to Monday.
Final vote on Wednesday
His proposal was accepted, so that the senators still have an opportunity for public debate earlier this week. The final vote on the impeachment should take place on Wednesday afternoon, which is expected to end with an acquittal for Trump.
The US President, who flew to his weekend seat in Florida with his wife Melania in the evening, should not be satisfied with this delay. He had hoped for an acquittal before appearing at various major events in the next few days. He plans to give a television interview at the Superbowl finals on Sunday, and on Tuesday will deliver his annual speech on the state of the nation.
