Senate Republicans said Friday the final votes to acquit President Trump of two articles of impeachment could drag into Saturday, or longer, if lawmakers agree to a lengthy final debate.
The Senate is expected to defeat a motion late this afternoon to call additional witnesses in the trial, clearing the way for final consideration of the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges hanging over the president.
While Trump is certain to be acquitted, Democrats are likely to insist at that point on further deliberations, in public, that allow each senator a time to speak publicly about the case against the president for up to 10 minutes.
That could take days.
Republicans leaving a closed-door meeting Friday said the trial is slated to end “soon,” but nobody knows exactly when.
“I have no best guess,” Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican and a member of the leadership team, said as he left the meeting and headed into the Senate chamber for the start of final arguments in the impeachment trial.
A senior GOP aide said the final votes to acquit Trump on the two articles are not expected tonight.
Senate Democrats are expected to introduce motions that would extend the trial, although Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, declined to say what procedural maneuvers he is considering.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said late-night acquittal votes seemed unlikely but could come later this weekend.
“I don’t expect it to wrap up tonight,” Tillis said. “That just doesn’t make sense from an operational perspective. I’d like it to wrap up tomorrow, but we’ll have to see what’s up.”
Most Republicans who stopped to speak to reporters in the Capitol Friday said they want the trial to end soon and opposed extending it into next week.
Senators have sat in the trial six days a week since Jan. 21, and many of them are eager to go home or take a break from the grueling proceedings.
They are also eager to return to regular legislative business.
“We’ve sat for 11 or 12 hours a day, for nine days,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican. “We’ve heard the arguments, we’ve had video of nearly 200 witnesses presented to us, so it’s been a good, fair process and for me, I’m ready to come to a conclusion whenever the procedure allows it.”
The conclusion of the trial became more certain Friday when a second swing Republican, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced she would not vote to call for additional witnesses.
Murkowski followed Alexander, who announced his opposition to new witnesses Thursday night.
Murkowski’s announcement removes ambiguity by preventing a tie vote for new witnesses, which would have opened the door for Chief Justice John Roberts to intercede. Now the vote for new witnesses will fall to 49 votes, with 51 lawmakers opposed.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said the trial should end “no later than tomorrow.”
He does not want to extend deliberations on a final verdict, even if Democrats insist on it.
The president’s State of the Union is scheduled for Feb. 4.
“It would be a mistake, and it would blow up in their face, and there would be no reason for it,” Graham said.
