GOP senators believe they have the votes to block witnesses

[Meeker]

Source: The Hill

It was clear to Senate Republicans on Wednesday after a morning meeting between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that the question of having additional witnesses is settled, and the Senate will vote Friday to wrap up the impeachment trial of President Trump.

There was no discussion of witnesses at a Senate GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, which was held a couple hours after McConnell and Murkowski met for about 20 to 30 minutes.

That was seen as a sign by several senators that Democrats will fail to convince four Republicans to join them in calling for witnesses. Without a vote to hear from witnesses, the trial could end as soon as Friday.

“We’re going to get it done by Friday, hopefully,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said following the meeting.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/480526-gop-senators-believe-they-have-the-votes-to-block-witnesses

[rurallib]

1. That means that each and every Republican senator running this year can be

legitimately labeled as the deciding vote that turned this trial into a travesty.

They can also be labeled as the deciding vote that undermined our constitution and made one man, ONE MAN above the law.

The deciding vote was not Romney, Murkowski or Collins. It was each and every Republican that voted to undermine the constitution.

[Meeker]

3. +1 n/t

[onetexan]

22. Dems need to run ads in those states w/ GOP Senators up for reelection mentioning it loud & clear

these Idiots voted to acquit the most corrupt POTUS impeached by the House for abuse of power.

[SergeStorms]

36. And extremely soft on national security.

For all their talk of stopping immigrants etc. they're willing to give the country away to foreign countries wanting to interfere with U.S. elections. Of that there is no doubt, and that's a mantle we have to make them wear.

[bearsfootball516]

2. If that's how they want to play it, okay.

Vulnerable Republican senators just signed their death warrants for November.

[still_one]

5. I wish your assessment was right, but there are a good number of idiots who are not

Equipped with critical thinking skills

[NCjack]

20. Murkowski just earned a truck load of money. nt

[still_one]

23. No doubt

[fallout87]

33. Yeah I dont think so....

What was the political fallout for not considering Merrick Garland? Nada.

[rockfordfile]

4. Vote those traitors out.

Then lock them up

[leftieNanner]

6. I think Moscow Mitch had already sewn this one up

When he made that bogus announcement yesterday that he didn't have the votes. He wanted to put more pressure on all of the Senators who might stray.

We are truly living in a monarchy at this point.

And I hope to hell that we have a real election in November.

[bluestarone]

8. THIS is what scares me

THE ELECTION!! So worried now!

[Girard442]

10. Yeah, me too. Ask Prime Minister Yitzakh Rabin how bad interference in an election can get.

[oldsoftie]

15. They wont vote in secret.

[cstanleytech]

9. Headline should be "Senate Republicans Engaged in Massive Cover-up".

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

18. That's the way the history books will record it.

Both Nixon and Clinton made witnesses and documents available, without even the suggestion that they would do otherwise (well, there was the matter of Nixon's tapes...). The members of the Cult of Trump, however, believe the ends justify the means, and will rip the Constitution to shreds to protect their Leader.

The last I saw, 70% believe there should be witnesses. I guess the Repugs are so terrified of Trump and his "base" they'll ignore the will of the people. These are the same guys who say a guilty verdict will overturn the results of the last election. I guess their arguments are as flexible as their morals.

[djacq]

30. I'm in 100 Percent agreement.

Fortunately, the blue state of Virginia has Senators Kaine and Warner.

This election day they'll be more joining the club.

[murielm99]

11. I never doubted it.

[BlueIdaho]

12. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

McConnell, Collings, Murkowski, and Gardner (at least) have a bigger problem than pulling Trump’s fat out of the fire. They have an election coming that they are likely to lose if they roll over and play dead just to make Donny happy.

[Hela]

13. SOTU will be fascinating

They can't cut away. They can't rescue him when he falters. They can't prop him up if he falls. Everyone will see the tongue thrusting and the dystonia. Is Melania going to walk him all the way to the podium? Maybe he'll hold hands with Mitch McConnell.

I don't think there's a drug cocktail in the world that's going to get him from the door to the podium and then through an hour or more long speech with no breaks.

I just can't see how putting him on display in a week is going to do anything to improve the Republican position. It will be painfully obvious to anyone watching just how unfit for office he really is. And if you're not already following Tom Joseph (TomJChicago) on Twitter, you should be.

[oldsoftie]

16. Well, we thought that last year too. If he stays on Prompter he wont look as stupid.

And he certainly doesnt write his speech either. Not that any of them do, but i doubt he'll have any input

[moonscape]

37. Exactly. He'll be awful, just marginally less

awful than one of his rallies, and we’ll hear he was presidential.

It’smore than we can be expected to endure. It all is.

[Meeker]

38. He can submit a written report.

But I think he loves notoriety too much for that.

But why assume he will be giving it, which assumes his reelection.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Welcome to DU. NT

[C Moon]

17. Shocking.

But how absurd that sentence sounds: blocking witnesses from a trial. That's the future of GOP's U.S., so vote.

[Mike Niendorff]

19. Ok then.

Time to send over another article of impeachment. Let's do this again. And again. And again.

And if any witness wants to tell their story, time for them to go to the press.

Let's go.


MDN

[Under The Radar]

21. Money is a powerful tool against moral judgement

It may come in the form of campaign cash oreven the promise of a lucrative lobbyist position when they lose their seats, but rest assured they have been bought.
May the stain of corruption mark them for the rest of their days, and I hope that they are haunted forever by the pain and agony that their decision will cause the rest of us.

[DeminPennswoods]

24. Bolton's book is going to be published

He is going to go on weeks of book tours on every channel, including Fox News. All of the information is going to come out and McConnell et al will be able to control exactly none of it.

Parnas' lawyer is going to keep dribbling out damaging information, too.

Trump has punched the tar baby and it will keep him entangled for the rest of his 1 term.

In the end, it will be a pyrrhic victory when the Senate flips in Novemember.

[DaDeacon]

35. This has been my prediction all along

[Mr. Ected]

25. Let's hope Rachel's producers have snagged Bolton and he's in make-up right now

The only way to beat them before they beat us is to let the story be told on live television.

[evertonfc]

26. let's be real

We knew how this would end in the Senate

[DFW]

27. And this comes as a surprise to whom, exactly?

Did ANYONE expect the "concerned" crowd to do anything different?

Collins, Murkowski, Gardner and Romney can't vote their consciences if they don't have one to begin with.

[Bleacher Creature]

28. Honestly, I'd almost rather it end this way.

If an acquittal is virtually guaranteed (and it is), then it might as well go down in the most rigged way as possible. Let vulnerable Senators deal with the ramifications this fall, and not just those who vote against calling witnesses, and just maybe we can actually take back the Senate.

The truth is going to come out either way, and it's going to destroy the Republican Party when that happens.

[Prof.Higgins]

31. You're spot on. Bleacher. n/t

[DallasNE]

29. Follow The Money

Trump went on a fund raising binge, hitting up his network of oligarchs and 48 hours later they have a deal. Who would have thought. Money corrupts absolutely.

[bucolic_frolic]

32. Yeah, Republicans held a trial but they didn't look for the truth!

This whole coverup is going to fly like a pregnant hippo made of lead.

[not_the_one]

34. Does this include the three democrats who are leaning to vote for NO WITNESSES?

Jones, Manchin, Sinema

The republicans are probably carefully taking those votes into consideration, which would allow MORE republicans to vote FOR witnesses, while still FAILING TO PASS the resolution FOR witnesses.

I swear, sometimes we are our worst enemy.

[Bettie]

39. The biggest issue is that when those three

vote to cover up his criminal activity, that horrible turtle-man hybrid can say it was "bipartisan".