Jan 31, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Lisa Murkowski won't vote for witnesses in Trump impeachment trial

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced Friday that she will vote against having additional witnesses testify during President Trump's impeachment trial, saying she doesn't "believe the continuation of the process will change anything."

Where it stands: Murkowski's vote likely closes the door on any additional witnesses during the trial. If four Republicans don't side with the Democrats on witnesses, the proceedings could end as soon as tonight.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) confirmed earlier Friday he is voting in support of additional witnesses.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) confirmed on Thursday night he will be voting against calling additional witnesses. He and Murkowski met privately prior to Alexander's decision, Axios' Alayna Treene reports. The two had asked a joint question Thursday night in the trial, just before the Q&A session ended, that seemed to capture their ultimate play.

What she's saying:

"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 the process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit, as an institution, Congress has failed. ...

"We are sadly at a low point of division in this country."

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Updated 6 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 p.m. ET: 5,803,416 — Total deaths: 359,791 — Total recoveries — 2,413,576 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 8:30 p.m. ET: 1,720,613 — Total deaths: 101,573 — Total recoveries: 399,991 — Total tested: 15,646,041 — Map.
Public health: The mystery of coronavirus superspreaders.
Congress: Pelosi slams McConnell on stimulus delay — Sen. Tim Kaine and wife test positive for coronavirus antibodies.
World: Twitter slapped a fact-check label on a pair of months-old tweets from a Chinese government spokesperson that falsely suggested that the coronavirus originated in the U.S.
2020: The RNC has issued their proposed safety guidelines for its planned convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Axios on HBO: Science fiction writers tell us how they see the coronavirus pandemic.
🏃‍♀️Sports: Boston Marathon canceled after initial postponement, asks runners to go virtual.
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