The chances of President Trump receiving a bipartisan acquittal took a hit Wednesday after Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) announced his decision to vote to convict on both articles of impeachment.
Jones was considered one of the more likely Democrats to vote to acquit Trump on one or both charges, primarily because he finds himself in a vulnerable position — some say he's in fact the single most vulnerable Democratic senator — in his home state of Alabama where he faces re-election in November. It's tough enough for a Democrat to win in Alabama without voting to remove a Republican president from office, but that wasn't enough for him to let Trump off the hook.
Although Trump will almost certainly be acquitted Wednesday afternoon, the White House is still hoping at least a couple of Democrats join their Republican counterparts since that would strengthen their argument the case for impeachment was flawed from the get-go. Now, that's becoming increasingly unlikely — as is the chance any Republican votes to convict. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) remain the only Democrats who could potentially switch sides at this point.
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.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.