Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell successfully blocked the Democrats’ witness requests, but the fight over the Senate impeachment trial isn’t finished.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce another motion to allow for new evidence and witness testimony after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate. There’s a chance, albeit a small one, that it will pass. At least three centrist Senate Republicans have said they’d be willing to debate the merits of additional testimony — but only after the trial begins.
Schumer wants to force them to take a side one way or the other. If Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, or a few other centrists vote for the resolution, Schumer wins. And even if they don’t, Schumer thinks he can score a few points by using their votes against them on the campaign trail.
Polling backs up Schumer’s plan. Independent voters in important swing states tend to favor additional evidence and witness testimony, according to two recent surveys. More than 57% of voters said the Senate should call several additional witnesses, and 66% said they’d specifically like to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton. And more than 60% of voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and North Carolina said they’d disapprove if their senator voted against the Democrats’ trial resolution.
These numbers don’t bode well for Collins, who is up for reelection in Maine this year. She has been careful to avoid a definitive stance. She’s been critical of Schumer’s attempts to back her into a corner, but she’s also expressed concern about the way McConnell handled the debate. And now, she’s working with a handful of Republicans on a compromise that would include witness testimony from both the House managers and the president’s counsel.
Schumer’s political maneuvering could be an attempt to save face. The impeachment of President Trump has been generally unpopular in swing states, and the longer it drags on, the less convincing it becomes. By shifting attention away from the substance of impeachment to the trial process, Schumer is trying to refocus voters’ displeasure and channel it toward the GOP.
Meanwhile, the Senate’s centrist Republicans will have to be prepared to answer for their impeachment votes long after the trial concludes. Schumer has no intention of letting this go, and he’s now made it clear that if he goes down, he’s taking the centrists with him.
