Hold the phone: McConnell Says GOP DOESN'T Have Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-defense-team-to-close-arguments-complicated-by-bolton-reports-11580215229

McConnell Says GOP Doesn’t Have Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses
Senate majority leader makes remarks in private Republican meeting

By Rebecca Ballhaus and Natalie Andrews
Updated Jan. 28, 2020 5:38 pm ET

Breaking News:

*McConnell Says GOP Leaders Don’t Currently Have Enough Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses

*McConnell Made Remarks in Private Senate GOP Meeting

(Article below will update)

WASHINGTON—President Trump’s lawyers tried to cast doubts on the importance and credibility of allegations by former national security adviser John Bolton about the president’s motives for freezing aid to Ukraine, as they concluded their efforts to counter Democrats’ charges that Mr. Trump abused power and obstructed Congress.

The arguments on the third and final day of presentations by the Trump legal team in the Senate impeachment trial came as the White House grew more concerned that the Republican-controlled chamber may vote later this week to hear from more witnesses. Republicans had hoped to wrap up the trial with an acquittal of the president by this week, but Mr. Bolton’s account has thrown that time frame into doubt.

Using less than half of the 24 hours they were allotted, the president’s lawyers argued that House managers hadn’t established their case and that their accusations fell short of the threshold needed to remove a president from office, particularly in an election year.

“The bar for impeachment cannot be set this low,” said Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s personal attorneys, of the Democrats’ impeachment case. Deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin said the abuse-of-power article was “infinitely malleable” and allowed for too much subjectivity. “How are we supposed to get the proof of what’s in the president’s head?” he asked.

</snip>

From earlier version of the OP:

Link to tweet

Geoff Bennett ✔@GeoffRBennett

Mitch McConnell currently appears to have the votes he needs to avoid calling trial witnesses, based on our reporting and conversations with lawmakers this evening -- even as the GOP messaging on the witness question seems to be: “We’ll make a determination after the Q&A period.”

5:09 PM - Jan 28, 2020

They're going to pay in November...

ON EDIT: WSJ is reporting that he DOESN"T have the votes to block!

[dem4decades]

1. 51 -49, bet. Any takers?

[NanceGreggs]

2. But he won't have the votes he needs ...

... in November to retain his majority.

[ancianita]

3. IF we get to vote in November.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. 50-50 Pence the tie breaker.

Call it like it is,rub in the Dems face. All according to Script. On TV at Prime time. Watch the Orange Anus go full on Hostile on Tuesday.

[TheRealNorth]

5. I thought I read somewhere

that Pence can't take part in the impeachment trial?

[MoonlitKnight]

6. Pence has no role in this.

Chief Justice Roberts has the gavel.

[11 Bravo]

8. No. Pence has no say in it. Roberts could cast a tie-breaking vote ...

but he won't.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Okay stand corrected.

As President of the Senate,assumed he could supply the tie breaker.

[11 Bravo]

10. Yeah, usually that's the deal. But the founders realized that since the VP ...

would ascend to the Presidency in the event of a successful impeachment, maybe he shouldn't have a say.

[ok_cpu]

7. Probably frustration mixed with mild despair

but I'm ready to say "good". They were never going to remove him. Let them drop the pretense that it wasn't a sham all along. Let it energize the democratic electorate and let the party absolutely hammer them on messaging over the next 9 months.

Hang it from their necks.