The U.S. Senate Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump was set to end with an acquittal vote on both articles on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
These votes were expected to come after two days of senators giving their final remarks on where they stand with this trial. Each senator had a maximum of 10 minutes to formally give their final thoughts on Monday and Tuesday after the closing arguments of the House managers and the president’s defense.
Once the Senate was back in session on Monday, Feb. 3, the prosecution and defense each had a maximum of two hours to give their closing arguments and statements.
A main point the House managers made in their final presentation was by not convicting Trump in this impeachment trial, it will put the 2020 presidential election at risk.
“If we are to rely on the next election to judge the president’s efforts to cheat in that election, how can we know that the next election will be free and fair,” said Adam Schiff, lead House manager.
A major point the president’s defense made in their final remarks was to let the people of the United States decide whether they want President Trump in office or not.
“The answer is elections, not impeachment,” said Jay Sekulow, Trump’s defense attorney.
Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah voted with Democrats last week to see additional witnesses and documents. While Collins voted yes to see witnesses, she explained why she planned to vote to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment.
“I do not believe that the House has met its burden of showing that the president’s conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of immediate removal from office, nor does the record support the assertion by the House managers that the president must not remain in office one moment longer,” Collins said. On Friday, Jan. 31, the prosecution and defense had a four-hour debate on whether witnesses should be subpoenaed and questioned, along with the request to view additional documents. The final vote was 49-51 against allowing witnesses.
This article was last updated on Feb. 4.
