Senate votes down impeachment witness with 2 Republicans joining Democrats in opposition


The impeachment trial of President Trump has effectively come to an end.
After several hours of arguments over the issue, the Senate voted 51-49 against a motion to bring witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial. Two Republicans joined every Democrat and Independent to support the motion, but it failed to garner the support it needed and spelled the end of arguments in the trial.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) were the two senators who voted in favor of the bill. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), once expected to perhaps support bringing witnesses, announced earlier they'd be voting against the measure.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The call for bringing witnesses in the Senate trial got a renewed push earlier this week when a reported clip from former National Security Adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book revealed Trump had talked with him about a quid pro quo with Ukraine. Bolton said he'd be willing to testify for the Senate, and ex-Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas also repeatedly pushed for himself to be called as a witness.
Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sent the Senate into recess, perhaps for the rest of Friday night.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Answers to how life on Earth began could be stuck on Mars
Under the Radar Donald Trump plans to scrap Nasa's Mars Sample Return mission – stranding test tubes on the Red Planet and ceding potentially valuable information to China
-
July 27 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Today's political cartoons include tough stains, heatwaves, and vote-losing behaviour
-
5 attention-grabbing cartoons about Trump's distraction tactics
Cartoons Artists take on a musical diversion, an NFL team by any other name, and more
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
Gavin Newsom mulls California redistricting to counter Texas gerrymandering
TALKING POINTS A controversial plan has become a major flashpoint among Democrats struggling for traction in the Trump era
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands