Senate Democrats needed four Republicans to join them in order to pass a measure allowing for new witnesses and new documents in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
But in the end only two Republicans broke ranks: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins of Maine. The measure failed 51-49.
The vote on witnesses had been the only real element of suspense. House impeachment managers were eager to call John Bolton, whose unpublished manuscript reportedly undercuts one of Trump's central arguments, asserting that the president explicitly tied Ukraine military aid to the investigations he was pushing.
The managers had proposed limiting witness depositions to one week, but Trump's attorneys promised litigation that would tie up the trial for months.
"A trial without witnesses is simply not a trial," Impeachment Manager Rep. Adam Schiff of California said on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
"You're not going to have a witness wand here, where we just say, 'Ok, you've got a week to do this, and get it done,'" Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said. "There's no way that would be proper."
The trial will now spill over into next week, with final arguments Monday, followed by floor speeches by individual senators lasting up through Wednesday afternoon, when a final vote on the two articles of impeachment will almost certainly result in acquittal.
"America will remember this day, unfortunately, where the Senate did not live up to its responsibilities, where the Senate turned away from truth and went along with a sham trial," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York said. "If the president is acquitted with no witnesses, no documents, the acquittal will have no value."
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FURTHER IMPEACHMENT COVERAGE
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