ALAN FRAM
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been easy for majority Democrats to keep Republicans from shifting the focus of the House impeachment hearings. Yet GOP leverage to do just that will grow should the battle reach the Republican-run Senate.
If the House votes to impeach President Donald Trump, which seems likely, the Senate would hold a trial on whether to oust him from office, probably early next year.
There, attorneys for Trump, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., or any other senator can call their own witnesses. The big catch is they’d need enough votes from the 53 GOP senators to muster a majority and prevent Democrats from blocking them.
Assuming Republican senators stay united, which isn’t guaranteed, Trump’s defenders could try r
