WASHINGTON--A senior Senate Republican said momentum was building on Thursday for a quick end to President Donald Trump's impeachment trial despite a push by Democrats to call witnesses such as former national security adviser John Bolton.
John Barrasso, the Senate's third-ranking Republican, told reporters during the second day of questioning by U.S. senators that Republicans were likely to beat back the Democratic effort for witnesses and wrap up the trial on Friday.
"We still feel very positive about it," Barrasso said. "The momentum is on the side of having the final vote and final judgment tomorrow."
Trump's likely acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate would leave him in office and allow him to claim vindication just as the Democratic Party holds its first nominating contest for the Nov. 3 election in Iowa on Monday. Trump will hold a rally in the state on Thursday night.
Democrats accuse the Republican president of abusing his power by using congressionally approved military aid as leverage to get a foreign power to smear former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination. The Democratic prosecutors argue witnesses are essential to shed more light on Trump's attempt to persuade Ukraine President Volodmyr Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives approved in December the two articles of impeachment, including obstruction of Congress. Trump has denied wrongdoing and denounces the impeachment process as a sham.
Lawyers for Trump and the House Democrats managing the prosecution answered questions on Thursday from lawmakers, read aloud by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts. On Friday, each side was expected to present what amount to closing arguments before the Senate moves to the question of whether to call witnesses. Democrats are unlikely to muster the two-thirds majority needed to remove Trump from office no matter what happens, but allowing witnesses could inflict political damage on the president as he seeks re-election.
During the question period on Thursday, the lead impeachment manager, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, proposed that both sides conduct closed-door witness depositions for a week while the Senate returns to normal business. But there was no sign his plea was being considered by Republicans. Instead, they pushed ahead with their defense of the president.
Republican Senators David Perdue, Joni Ernst and John Barrasso asked Trump's lawyers to summarize the House probe "and how the president was denied due process in each stage ... do these due process violations make this impeachment the fruit of the poisonous tree?"
