Republicans in the Senate secured enough votes Friday evening to reject Democratic efforts to extend theTrump impeachment trialand call new witnesses, as the final vote on whether or not to remove President Trump from office could drag into next week.
After hours of debate during the day, the Senate voted 51 to 49 to block a Democratic motion to call new witnesses. The vote came after vehement demands from Democrats to call former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about the Trump-Ukraine saga.
Two Republicans -- Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Maine Sen. Susan Collins -- voted with Democrats for new witnesses.
It's unclear exactly what comes next. The final up-and-down vote -- amid the widespread expectation that Trump will be acquitted in the end -- could continue into next week, as senators must contend with motions and potential debate by senators on the floor or in closed session.
"Senators will now confer among ourselves, with the House managers, and with the president’s counsel to determine next steps as we prepare to conclude the trial in the coming days," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement after the vote on witnesses.
McConnell and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have not yet hammered out a proposal on how to move forward, Schumer said Friday afternoon, but signaled that Democrats may try to force a debate and put senators in a position where they'd have to defend their votes.
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