Trump Headed For Speedy Acquittal After Senate Votes Against Additional Witnesses

President Donald Trump is headed for an expedited acquittal in his impeachment trial after the Senate rejected the call for additional witnesses in a vote on Friday.

What Happened

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 51 to 49 to block any additional witness from being called for the trial.

The vote was divided across the party-line, as was expected, with Democrats getting only two of the four needed Republicans to side with them on the matter.

Utah senator Mitt Romney and Maine senator Susan Collins joined the Democrats in calling for more witnesses, as Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander decided against it at the last minute. Alexander said that while President Trump's actions were inappropriate, they don't constitute an impeachable offense.

"Senate Republicans turned away from truth and went along with a sham trial," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Twitter. "If President Trump is acquitted with no witnesses, no documents, the acquittal will have no value because Americans will know this wasn't a real trial."

"America will remember this day," he added.

The House of Representatives had formally initiated the impeachment proceedings against the president on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of presidential powers.

What's Next

The Senate will have a final vote on whether to convict or acquit the president on Wednesday evening.

The vote is seen as a mere formality of procedure as the Senate is widely expected to acquit Trump, especially after the rejection of the call for witnesses, with votes divided across party lines.

Before the vote, the House prosecutors and Trump's defense team will make the closing arguments on Monday.