WASHINGTON, D.C. (WPTA21) – Indiana Sen. Mike Braun said Wednesday he doesn’t believe the Senate needs to add more witnesses to the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
The impeachment trial resumed Wednesday into the questioning phase of the case.
Senators will have 16 hours to submit their questions to House impeachment managers and the White House defense team.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell privately told senators he doesn’t yet have the votes to brush back Democratic demands for witnesses now that revelations from John Bolton, the former national security adviser, have roiled the trial.
In the past, Sen. Braun said President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wasn’t a perfect call.
However, he doesn’t believe Trump’s conduct is impeachable.
He’s also not convinced the senate needs to hear from new witnesses like former national security adviser John Bolton.
“This is a political trial, and we’ve had 17 of them in the house,” Sen. Mike Braun said about adding more witnesses as part of the trial.
“Now will the 18th give you that marginal information that you need? Or do you look at the constitutional underpinnings that make the case weak? Every senator has to take all of that into consideration.”
“After watching the House cobble together a flimsy case and listening to all of the arguments from both sides, I do not believe we need additional testimony to prolong this trial,” Braun said.
In a Senate split 53-47 in favor of Republicans, at least four GOP senators must join all Democrats to reach the 51 votes required to call witnesses, decide whom to call or do nearly anything else in the trial. Several Republicans apparently are ready to join Democrats in calling witnesses.
President Trump tweeted Wednesday that the trial doesn’t need any more witnesses.
Democrats, meanwhile, say Trump’s refusal to allow administration officials to testify only reinforces that the White House is hiding evidence.
“Now I remain hopeful that four Republican senators will join us in supporting witnesses and documents in this trial, it’s an uphill fight as I’ve always said, but the public is on our side and the truth is on our side,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said.
