It’s expected the Republican-controlled U-S Senate will acquit President Trump when a vote comes in his impeachment trial this afternoon (Wed). Democratic Minnesota Senator Tina Smith says she’ll vote to convict, arguing that no prior U-S president — not Nixon or Clinton — has categorically rejected the power of Congress to investigate the executive branch. Smith asks, “How can our constitutional system work if we allow the president to decide if and how Congress can investigate the president’s misconduct? It can’t.”
Smith contends the Senate abandoned its responsibilities by blocking efforts to get the complete truth at the trial with witness testimony. “As a result, there will be a permanent cloud over these proceedings. The president may be acquitted but, without a fair trial, he cannot claim to be exonerated,” she says.
The president’s attorneys argued the Senate considered testimony from a number of witnesses who were called in the House impeachment hearings. Republicans say Democrats’ allegations against the president are not impeachable offenses.