McConnell is expected to move quickly to acquit Trump if witness vote fails Friday
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to move quickly to acquit President Donald Trump if a closely watched vote planned for Friday to compel witnesses and documents for Trump’s impeachment trial is defeated, according to Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who is the number two Senate Republican.
The discussions come as Republican leaders believe they are closing in on the votes necessary to block any witnesses, a move that would bring a swift end to the trial.
“In the end it’s going to be up to the leader, but my view would be at that point you would want to start bringing this thing to a conclusion,” Thune said Wednesday. “I’m not sure there would be any value or any point in keeping it going.”
Thune noted that after the question of witnesses is resolved, the organizing resolution for the trial allows for an open-ended number of procedural motions to be made by senators, something that might slow a quick end to the trial, especially if Democrats demand a series of debates and votes on motions.
Each motion is debatable for two hours, as are any amendments to them, according to Alan Frumin, a former Senate parliamentarian.
A top Democratic aide declined to speculate on how many motions Democratic senators might offer.
Thune said that McConnell, as majority leader, has the right of first recognition, giving the Kentucky Republican the chance to move to go to closing arguments, possible closed-door deliberations and then votes on the two articles of impeachment.
“If that vote were defeated on Friday, you’d be through the part where the organizing resolution governs what happens, and then it’s pretty much open motions,” Thune said. “The leader would have the right of first recognition, and if he wanted to move to closing arguments I suspect we’d do that.”
GOP leaders have not said how much time is expected for each side to make closing arguments nor if they expect the Senate to go into closed-door deliberations before casting final votes on the impeachment articles.
A final vote on the articles could happen as early as Friday or could slide to Saturday or even later, depending on how events play out.
