Trump impeachment trial
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin 'undecided' on Trump impeachment vote, proposes censure
At least one Democrat might break with his party in President Trump's impeachment vote.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) announced Monday he's still "undecided" on whether he'll vote to acquit or convict Trump at the end of the ongoing presidential impeachment trial. Manchin was clear in placing some fault on Trump and the arguments made in his defense, but said he will ultimately come to his decision "reluctantly" come Wednesday.
On Monday, Manchin used his floor speech to say that even though "I remain undecided on how I will vote," he believed Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was "not a perfect call." Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz's argument that the president could essentially do no wrong was the "most dangerous" thing Manchin had heard during the Trump impeachment trial, Manchin added. And while he doesn't "see a path" to the 67 votes needed to force Trump out of office, Manchin said he does believe "a bipartisan majority would vote to censure" Trump, and said he has prepared a resolution to do so that he'll unveil soon.
Manchin is a centrist Democrat who narrowly held onto his seat in 2018 after his state firmly favored Trump in the 2016 election. Manchin has since voted in step with Trump's positions more than any other Democratic senator currently in Congress.