Impeachment trial: Senate poised to vote on final Trump verdict

The Senate is set to issue a verdict in President Trump’s impeachment trial with a vote that is all but certain to end in his acquittal Wednesday afternoon, bringing the monthslong impeachment saga to a close.

Senators will resume delivering speeches to explain their votes Wednesday morning ahead of the 4 p.m. vote. The upper chamber’s 47 Democrats will fall far short of the 67 votes needed to convict the president on the two articles of impeachment, but the final tally for acquittal remains an open question.

One of the Republican senators who was thought to be open to voting to convict was Senator Susan Collins, but on Tuesday she said House impeachment managers had failed to show the president committed a high crime or misdemeanor warranting removal from office. Collins told the “CBS Evening News” she thought Mr. Trump had learned “a pretty big lesson” from impeachment and would vote to acquit.

A handful of other senators have kept their intentions close to their chest. Republican Mitt Romney of Utah voted with Democrats in a failed effort to allow new witnesses and documents but has yet to reveal how he plans to vote on a verdict. Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia said on the Senate floor on Monday that he remained undecided and was struggling with the choice.

Senators have 10 minutes each throughout the day to explain themselves ahead of the afternoon vote.

Feinstein backs Manchin’s censure proposal
Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office confirmed to CBS News that she will support a proposal by Senator Joe Manchin to censure the president over his July 25 call with the president of Ukraine. Manchin has not yet revealed whether he will vote to acquit the president but suggested a vote to censure him on Monday.

However, many Republicans have indicated they’re uninterested in supporting a censure resolution. Senator Lamar Alexander, who has admitted that Mr. Trump’s call was “inappropriate,” has said that he would not support a censure vote.

Doug Jones announces he will vote to convict Trump 

Democratic Senator Doug Jones of Alabama will vote to convict Mr. Trump on both articles of impeachment, he said in a written statement and a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday morning.

Jones is one if four senators whose vote was being closely watched. He is running for reelection in deep-red Alabama.

“In keeping with my oaths, I resolved that throughout this process I would keep an open mind and hear all of the evidence before making a final decision on the charges against the president,” he said in his written statement. “For months, I have been studying the facts of this case exhaustively. I have read thousands of pages of transcripts, watched videos of testimony, taken copious notes, reviewed history and precedents and discussed this case with colleagues, staff, and constituents, in addition to having participated in the Senate trial over the past two weeks.

“After many sleepless nights, I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the president for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.”

Jones said he is “acutely aware” of the precedents the impeachment trial will set for both future presidents and Congresses, including that a “fair trial in the Senate does not include witnesses and documentary evidence.” He also said he is “deeply troubled by the partisan nature” of the proceedings.

“We must find a way to rise above the things that divide us and find the common good,” Jones said.

The Alabama Democrat said he worked to “see through the fog of partisanship” and was troubled by the arguments from Mr. Trump’s legal team. The evidence, he said, “clearly proves” the president used his office to pressure a foreign government to interfere in the 2020 presidential election and agreed his actions were an abuse of power.

Jones conceded the second article, obstruction of Congress, gave him pause but said he believes Mr. Trump “deliberately and unconstitutionally obstructed Congress by refusing to cooperate” with the House’s investigation.”

“This has been a divisive time for our country, but I think it has nonetheless been an important constitutional process for us to follow,” he said. “As this chapter of history draws to a close, one thing is clear: our country deserves better than this. We must find a way to come together, to set aside partisan differences, and to focus on what we have in common as Americans. We are facing great challenges both domestically and internationally, but it remains my firm belief that united, we can conquer them and remain the greatest hope for people around the world.”