uschools/iStock(WASHINGTON) — Barreling into what could be the final day of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Friday, the spotlight is on moderate Republican senators Democrats want to vote with them on allowing new witnesses.
But the chances of that happening were getting remote and the Senate’s GOP leadership appears to have the votes all but locked up to block them.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of those moderates targeted by Democrats, has said she will announce where she stands soon — perhaps before Friday’s Senate trial session starts at 1 p.m.
Democrats have hoped to sway her following revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton earlier in the week that appeared to undermine the president’s defense.
How she’ll vote is just one element in general uncertainty over how the trial will unfold when the Senate reconvenes.
Both sides will engage in at least four hours of debate over the witness question before the Senate votes on that. Republicans have indicated they’d prefer to wrap things up — move to a final vote on whether to acquit the president shortly after — but motions from Democrats and arguments could extend the session late into the night.
GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander had been in the spotlight after expressing support for holding a vote on whether to call witnesses. But late Thursday, the swing vote senator from Tennessee said he’s heard enough.
“There is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitution’s high bar for an impeachable offense,” Alexander announced in a statement.
The ABC News team of correspondents and producers is covering every aspect of this story.
Here is how the day is unfolding. Please refresh for updates.
1:24: New Bolton book report lands like bombshell as witness debate begins
As he opens the debate over witnesses, lead House Manager Adam Schiff quickly brings up a new report in The New York Times referencing more of the manuscript of former national security adviser John Bolton’s book.
Bolton is one of the key witnesses Democrats are demanding he heard.
The report says Bolton writes in his manuscript that Trump instructed him at a May 2019 meeting to help Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, set up a meeting with Ukraine’s president. The account says acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — who is leading the president’s defense on the Senate floor – were also present.
The White House and Giuliani deny the conversations described in the Times report. ABC News has not independently reviewed Bolton’s manuscript.
1:17 p.m. Murkowski announces she’s a ‘no’ on witnesses’
As Friday’s Senate trial session is getting underway, Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces she will vote against having the Senate allow new witnesses.
Her statement is below:
“I worked for a fair, honest, and transparent process, modeled after the Clinton trial, to provide ample time for both sides to present their cases, ask thoughtful questions, and determine whether we need more.”
“The House chose to send articles of impeachment that are rushed and flawed. I carefully considered the need for additional witnesses and documents, to cure the shortcomings of its process, but ultimately decided that I will vote against considering motions to subpoena.
“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed.
“It has also become clear some of my colleagues intend to further politicize this process, and drag the Supreme Court into the fray, while attacking the Chief Justice. I will not stand for nor support that effort. We have already degraded this institution for partisan political benefit, and I will not enable those who wish to pull down another.
“We are sadly at a low point of division in this country.”
That word comes as The New York Times reports new excerpts from former national security adviser John Bolton’s new book. According to the account, Trump instructed Bolton in May to help the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, set up a meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy. That would be two months before Trump’s controversial July 25 phone call.
–ABC News’ Trish Turner
11:50 a.m. Alexander: Concerned about Senate as institution
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer reports from Capitol Hill:
GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander says he was most swayed by concerns for the institution of the Senate in making his decision he announced last night to vote against witnesses.
The founders said there “should never be a partisan impeachment,” he tells me. “I was concerned about the Senate as an institution being created as a weapon of perpetual impeachment.”
Should a censure be on the table?
“I don’t see a need for that. This is an inappropriate act by a president,’ he says. “The remedy for that is the election. The American people starting on Monday on Iowa can say what they think about it. They can take the phone call with Ukraine and add it to the good economy and whatever they think of the president behavior and decide between him or Elizabeth Warren.”
Alexander has not yet heard from Trump. He says the last time they spoke was in December.
11:15 a.m. Schumer: ‘The president’s acquittal will be meaningless’
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, at a morning news conference, says, “the result of today’s vote is still an open question” but he and other Democrats seemed resigned to losing the battle.
“The president’s acquittal will be meaningless,” he says, “because it will be the result of a sham trial.”
Schumer said “there will be “a permanent asterisk next to the acquittal of President Trump — written in permanent ink.”
“Every Republican who voted to hide the truth in an impeachment trial of the president” will have to answer for that, he says. “The truth — the truth — will come out.”
“Republican senators who decide to go against the will of the people will have to reckon with them,” he says. “If my Republican colleagues refuse to even consider witnesses and documents in this trial, this country is headed towards the greatest cover-up since Watergate.”
Besides Alexander and Murkowski, the two other moderate Republicans Democrats had set their hopes on — Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — both broke with their party late Thursday, issuing statements in support of hearing new testimony. But without four Republicans joining Democrats, their votes likely won’t make a difference.
Chief Justice John Roberts remains the wild card. As the presiding officer, essentially assuming the ceremonial role of the vice president, he could — in theory — break a tie vote and Democrats are pushing for him to get more involved, but that seems unlikely.
Senators raised the issue of adding witness testimony to the trial several times in their questions for the House managers and the White House defense counsel.
At one point late Thursday at the Senate trial, Sen. Murkowski, essentially asked Trump’s lawyers point-blank: Why not call John Bolton to testify?
“I think the primary consideration here is to understand that the House could have pursued Ambassador Bolton,” White House Deputy Counsel Patrick Philbin responded, noting that the House chose not to subpoena Bolton.
He said admitting Bolton would set a lower standard of what the House is required to do in pursuing impeachment, sending a message that, “you don’t have to do all of that work before you get to this institution.”
“That’s not the way that this chamber should allow impeachments to be presented to it,” Philbin said.
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