Democrats' Long-Shot Hopes of Hearing Witnesses Just Went Down in Flames

WASHINGTON — Democrats’ final, long-shot hopes of calling new witnesses in President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial now appear dashed after yet another moderate GOP senator said she’d oppose any such measure. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced Friday that she will vote against calling new witnesses because she doesn’t think the Republican-dominated Senate will provide for a fair trial — and that’s “sad.” Close Senate observers have Murkowski pegged as a possible “yes” vote with Democrats for witnesses, in a vote expected later Friday. But Alexander bailed Thursday night, releasing a statement near midnight that said he didn’t need to hear from more witnesses because Democrats had already proved the main thrust of their case against Trump with a “mountain of overwhelming evidence.” The House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for abusing his office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden, and for then blocking the congressional investigation into what happened. Roberts read Warren’s question aloud to the assembled senators, then stared in silence for a long moment in Warren’s general direction, eyebrows furrowed, with a distant look on his face.Murkowski suggested she wanted no more of this, and berated both the Democrat-controlled House and the GOP-controlled Senate for failing to live up to their Constitutional mandate on impeachment.