WASHINGTON (AP/NewsNation Now) — The latest on former President Donald Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial.
3:50 p.m. – Senate voted 57-43 on article of impeachment, former President Trump acquitted without 2/3 majority vote.
Seven Republican senators joined all Democrats in voting in favor of convicting the former president, failing to reach the 67 votes needed.
GOP Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania voted in favor of convicting the former president.
43 Republican senators voted to acquit Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters who stormed the seat of Congress in Washington to stop lawmakers from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election victory, resulting in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. Earlier Saturday, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell told colleagues he would vote to acquit Trump.
3:35 p.m. – Senate votes on impeachment article of former President Trump following closing arguments.
1:00 p.m. – The Senate reached a deal on Saturday to skip witness testimony in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
The agreement averts a prolonged trial and sets up closing arguments from both sides on Saturday.
10:35 a.m. – Senators have voted to consider witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Closing arguments were expected Saturday with no witnesses called. But lead Democratic prosecutor Jamie Raskin of Maryland asked for a deposition of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler over fresh information.
She has widely shared a conversation she had with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 as the mob was rioting over the presidential election results.
Raskin said it was necessary to determine Trump’s role in inciting the deadly Jan. 6 riot. There were 55 senators who voted to debate the motion to subpoena, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who changed his vote in the middle of the count.
Trump’s attorney Michael van der Veen balked at the request, saying he’d then call 100 witnesses and said it was not necessary.
9:45 a.m. – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will vote to acquit Donald Trump in the former president’s impeachment trial.
That’s according to a source familiar with McConnell’s thinking who was not authorized to publicly discuss the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Word of McConnell’s decision came Saturday before what is expected to be a final day in the historic trial on the charge that Trump incited the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
The Republican leader’s views are closely watched and carry sway among GOP senators, and his decision on Trump is likely to influence others weighing their votes.
While most Democrat are expected to convict Trump, the two-thirds vote needed for conviction appears unlikely, given that the Senate is evenly split 50-50 between the parties.
Saturday, the Senate will hold a rare session for closing arguments in the impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump and then senators are poised to vote on holding Trump accountable for the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol.
On Friday, Trump’s lawyers presented their defense arguments in the former president’s historic second impeachment trial. Democratic House impeachment managers wrapped their case Thursday.
On Tuesday afternoon, after hearing arguments on constitutionality from both sides, the Senate voted 56-44 that it is constitutional to try a former president on impeachment charges. Republican Sens. Cassidy, Toomey, Sasse, Romney, Collins, and Murkowski joined all Democratic senators in voting yes.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Trump on Jan. 13 on a single charge of inciting insurrection, focusing on a speech he made to supporters shortly before the D.C. riot.
Nine Democratic House lawmakers serving as prosecutors hope they’ve persuaded members of the 100-seat Senate to convict the former president. If they’re successful, it could pave the way for lawmakers to bar Trump from holding public office again.
This is breaking news and will be updated.