Alaska’s U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski will vote against any efforts to call witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial, she announced in a prepared statement today.
Murkowski has been one of a handful of closely watched Republican senators who observers had hoped would call witnesses. Her announcement, along with Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander’s announcement the night before, means that the Senate is headed to a speedy acquittal of Trump without calling a single witness, a first for the institution.
In her statement, Murkowski said the process was flawed from the start and that didn’t see the point in dragging it out further.
“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything,” she said. “It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed.”
Murkowski had delivered one of the highlights of the Senate’s questioning of the Trump defense team, asking if there was a good reason to refuse hearing from former national security adviser John Bolton. The trial has been rocked by a constant drip of details from Bolton’s book that have suggested first-hand knowledge that the president attempted to use his official position to gain a political advantage in the upcoming election.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney had both said they are interested in calling Bolton and other witnesses but with Alexander’s admission he would oppose calling witnesses, Murkowski’s vote would have likely left the question of witnesses tied. That would have turned attention to Chief Justice John Roberts, who could have broken the tie or abstained.
Murkowski said she didn’t want to see that—apparently an unprecedented politicization of the Supreme Court—come to pass.
“It has also become clear some of my colleagues intend to further politicize this process, and drag the Supreme Court into the fray, while attacking the Chief Justice. I will not stand for nor support that effort. We have already degraded this institution for partisan political benefit, and I will not enable those who wish to pull down another,” she said. “We are sadly at a low point of division in this country.”
Murkowski’s admission was met with swift backlash from impeachment observers, arguing that while the senator bemoaned the flawed process she was doing nothing to solve it. Meanwhile, several Alaskans took to social media to say they expected nothing more.
The three stages of Lisa Murkowski: Concern. Disappointment. Capitulation. https://t.co/asf2ko1R57
— Pat Race (@alaskarobotics) January 31, 2020
I hope Lisa sticks to her guns! The Dems have proven since Trump was elected that they will use any corrupt behavior against him. The proof is in all their past attempts of fake witnesses and misrepresentation of documents. They are the ones of corruption in our government!
The Senate failed and will go down in history as the most corrupt, bought-and-paid-for Senate. And every part of the cabinet is run by lobbyists. “Never forget”
YOU have failed, Lisa Murkowski! Your lame act of caring about the institution of the Senate – false! Your oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution – failed! I wrote your name in in 2010, voted for you in the last election, but I will now vote against you twice in every election, if given the opportunity, once in the Republican primary (I’m allowed to do that as a nonpartisan) and again in the general election. Quit acting like you have integrity. You don’t.
Murkowski is, and always has been, all in.
Murkowski has finally dropped the mask that deceived so many for so long.
Trouble is, she just might of got a glimpse of herself in the mirror at the same time.
In her statements, each following on the heels of every one of her treasonous votes, those strident, dissonant and implausible excuses she ladled up, each succeeding statement she produced only served to ultimately illuminate her utter failure to find any coherent justification suitable, even to herself, for her to hide behind.
At long last it has happened, the capstone of her long history of perfidious actions has finally given her what she for so long has only pretended at: …now, for the first time, she’s suffering actual moral qualms.
She can have none of that, though, so she’s doubling down, strapping on her armor again and again, against the possibility of feeling any shame, …or at least, not being seen showing any shame.
Expect more statements, …she knows what she has chosen is wrong. But she’s all in. Always was.
So there has to be more statements to come, …there’s still more work for her in the roll she’s chosen serving the likes of McConnell, Trump, and Putin
She’s not even fooling herself. I can’t imagine she still fools anyone else, and I mean, …anyone.