NYT Impeachment Live Updating: What to expect today

[Mike 03]

Friday’s session could be definitive, most likely capped by a vote on whether to hear new witnesses, like the former national security adviser John R. Bolton, and consider new evidence. But after that vote, which Republicans are confident will be rejected, things in President Trump’s impeachment trial could become a little messy. Nicholas Fandos, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, walked me through what to expect.

The trial will resume at 1 p.m., but with a new shape: There will be four hours of debate, split between the House managers and Mr. Trump’s lawyers, on the question of witnesses. We’ll most likely hear Adam Schiff talking one more time about why they need to hear from Mr. Bolton and others. The president’s lawyers will say that if you go down that path, it will open up a Pandora’s box and keep the trial going for weeks more.

After the conclusion of that debate, something unusual could happen: Senators could move into a private deliberation, where they close the doors, kick reporters out of the Senate press gallery and turn off cameras. But that’s unlikely, mostly because we already know how Republicans will vote.

Then, in the late afternoon or early evening, the vote on whether to consider witnesses and documents will take place. Remember: It’s a vote about whether they even want to allow the Senate to consider calling witnesses, not a vote on the witnesses themselves. If the vote fails, the trial is, for all intents and purposes, heading toward a conclusion.

If the Senate does vote to consider witnesses — a big “if,” considering we pretty much know the votes — then we’ll be in an uncertain period where the two legal teams can offer motions on specific people and documents, and each one will get a vote. It would open up a free-for-all in which Democrats could keep demanding votes. The president’s lawyers could demand votes, too, on witnesses like Hunter Biden.

Regardless of how the vote turns out, Senate leaders will likely break to discuss what to do next.

The dinnertime hours could be when things get really messy. The next big step, assuming the witness motion fails, is a vote on each of the impeachment articles. But there are a lot of high jinks Senate Democrats could pull between the witness vote and the verdict, including forcing a bunch of procedural votes. But it’s hard to say exactly what they could do, because they’re still figuring that out. The session could go deep into the night.

If Republicans had their choice, they would vote to acquit Mr. Trump by the end of the night. But that may be difficult. Some senators may want, as they did during the Clinton impeachment, to deliberate a while about final votes, which are expected by Saturday.

New York Times Live Updating Impeachment Blog: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/trump-impeachment-trial-01-31?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

[chicoescuela]

1. Tripper Harrison - 1979 (Meatballs)

"It just doesn't matter" - repeat

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. I thought Van Hollen was going to petition Roberts directly

As presiding officer, Roberts could rule on subpoenas without a floor vote. Then it would be up to the Senate to overrule him.

[denem]

3. Expect a coronation

on Nopoledon

[matt819]

4. Rachel Maddow

This would be a good - really, the only - time for Bolton to "testify" in an interview with Rachel Maddow. This weekend.

[maxsolomon]

5. Procedural Votes until they cry Uncle. Drag it out late into the night. 1, 2 am.

This should hurt. It should be physically punishing.