GOP senators seek to acquit Trump without condoning conduct

ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — There is no question, Sen. Lamar Alexander said, that President Donald Trump actions were "inappropriate" when he asked Ukraine's leader to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden. But not bad enough, he said, to warrant Trump's removal from office, or even to hear from witnesses or other evidence. That distinction has been embraced by other Republicans as the trial moves toward a near-certain acquittal of the president in the coming days. It's also in line with arguments from Trump's legal team, which after initially asserting that the president did "absolutely nothing wrong" moved toward insisting that Trump had done nothing impeachable — and attacked the trial as a partisan exercise. The evolving arguments have allowed Republicans