McConnell, Senate Republicans Must Allow Witnesses & Evidence

Statement from DSCC spokesperson Lauren Passalacqua on the conclusion of opening arguments in the impeachment trial and the start of questions from Senators:

“All Senators have a clear obligation to commit to reviewing all the evidence, but Republicans like Martha McSally and Susan Collins started this trial by voting against every single subpoena to hear relevant witnesses and obtain documents. And whether it’s been behind closed doors or out in public, GOP senators like Cory Gardner, Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst have continued to endorse Mitch McConnell’s scheme to block John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and other key firsthand witnesses from being heard. The defense presented by the president’s legal team has done nothing to change the clear need to hear from witnesses, and the questions raised by Senators will only further reinforce that a trial blocking testimony and evidence is a partisan cover-up and not a serious effort to get the facts.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Senators Cory Gardner, Martha McSally and Thom Tillis addressed their Republican colleagues in a closed-door meeting last night on impeachment. The Washington Post reported that Gardner and Tillis told their GOP colleagues “they were ready to vote against witnesses” and wrap up the trial. Gardner has also reportedly expressed concern about the threat that witness testimony and a “longer trial” would pose to his re-election campaign.

Republican Senators voted along party lines last week to block subpoenas for relevant documents and for testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Assistant to the President Robert Blair, and Office of Management and Budget Associate Director of National Security Programs Michael Duffey, despite the fact that an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Americans and independent voters in key Senate battleground states want to hear from witnesses.

What they’re saying this week about Senate Republicans trying to move forward on a trial without witnesses:

• Washington Post: “Several Republican senators up for reelection this November and facing tough campaigns — including Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — indicated during the meeting that they were ready to vote against witnesses and proceed to the final vote…”

• Wall Street Journal: “Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who face competitive races in the fall, addressed their colleagues in the meeting, people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Gardner said a longer trial would lead to more Democratic attacks, according to a spokesman, and Mr. Tillis called impeachment a sham. Ms. McSally’s office said she doesn’t comment on what happens in private meetings.”

• USA Today Editorial: “This impeachment trial — only the third in U.S. history — is… a vehicle for the American people to judge their president’s character and conduct. For that, witnesses are imperative.”

• Los Angeles Times Editorial: “Republican senators who rush to a vote without calling Bolton — or other relevant witnesses, such as White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney — will be dishonoring their oath to judge the case against Trump impartially… Even before the report about Bolton’s book, there was no rational argument for forgoing witness testimony.”

• ME – Portland Press Herald – Editorial Page Editor: “Collins was given the chance to demand to see all the evidence and instead voted to stick with the outward appearance of the last impeachment trial.”

• ME – Bangor Daily News (Opinion): Collins is no independent on impeachment

• ME – MSNBC: ‘Susan tries to play both sides’: Maine voters weigh in on Sen. Collins, impeachment

• CO – Denver Post: Cory Gardner noncommittal on subpoenaing John Bolton in impeachment trial

• CO – Westword: Impeachment Pressure Mounts on Gardner After Bolton Revelations

• CO – New York Times (Opinion): Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Invisible)

• CO – Aurora Sentinel Editorial: “This is Gardner’s final opportunity to show his constituents in Colorado that he is willing and able to put the interests of the nation above those of Trump… He has greatly disappointed all of Colorado when pressed to this test in the past.”

• AZ – Arizona Republic: “Through a spokeswoman, McSally declined to say whether she wants to hear from Bolton.”

• NC – Raleigh News & Observer: “Tillis has said he would probably oppose calling witnesses.”

• IA – Des Moines Register Editorial: Ernst, Grassley should support calling witnesses in impeachment trial; Ernst’s comments betray a closed mind

• GA – Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Loeffler lashes out at ‘friend’ Mitt Romney over impeachment witnesses

• TX – Houston Chronicle Editorial: You call this a trial? Call the witnesses.

• TX – Dallas Morning News Editorial: If there is to be closure on impeachment, the Senate needs to call witnesses

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