The announcement set off something of a scramble as the two sides mulled how to move forward. Trump s team threatened to call hundreds of witnesses, something they did not have the authority to do but reflected their willingness to drag out the trial for weeks if Democrats insisted on having additional testimony.
Instead, the Senate entered a statement Herrera Beutler released on Friday night into the trial record. The agreement allowed the trial to proceed to closing arguments and a final vote on Trump s guilt on Saturday.
Some Biden allies expressed relief that the Senate would not hear from witnesses, arguing an extended trial would hinder efforts to confirm the president s nominees and work on his legislative agenda.
By Jordain Carney - 02/13/21 09:37 AM EST
Democrats are reviving a debate over whether to call witnesses for the impeachment trial against former President Trump
Neither House impeachment managers nor Trump s legal team had formally closed the door to calling witnesses, but senators on both sides of the aisle expected they wouldn t and that the trial would wrap up on Saturday.
But some Democrats are now endorsing the idea in the wake of new details about conversations then-President Trump had with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
ADVERTISEMENT The House Managers should ask for witnesses to be called, including anyone who communicated with Donald Trump or have direct knowledge of his actions and state of mind while he was in the White House after the Capitol was breached and while the attempted coup was ongoing, Sen. Ed Markey