Manchin and Murkowski Solid for President in Senate Impeachment Vote

By David Kamioner | February 4, 2020

Less than two days before the historic impeachment vote in the U.S. Senate, two senators who were thought to be swing votes, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced they could not vote to remove the president from office.

Thus, they will vote for the president and no on the charges.

Most analysts had predicted the GOP’s Murkowski would hold the line. But Manchin was more of an educated guess. LifeZette called it. However, others thought Manchin would not defy his Senate leadership. So either he got a doomed cause waiver to help him in his home state or he’s planning a jump to the GOP. Either is possible and the party switch would not hurt him in deep red conservative West Virginia.

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Murkowski’s independent libertarian-trending Alaskans probably just want the whole show over with and will have no problem with her vote.

The only remaining possible holdouts are Collins, Jones, Tester, and Romney.

Republican Susan Collins of Maine may vote guilty on one or both counts because she knows the president will win anyway and at least one guilty vote could help her in blue-leaning Maine. She could have received the done deal waiver from McConnell. The Left may also consider an anti-Trump vote a thrown bone because of her yes vote for Brett Kavanaugh.

Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama is in a hard place. He’s likely to lose this year no mater how he votes on impeachment, as he won in a fluke in 2017. However, even the slightest hope would be gone if he votes against the president. So does he vote to convict and pray the Democrats take care of him after he leaves office or does he vote with the president and hope GOP infighting once again gives him an upset victory?

Democrat Jon Tester of Montana was once considered a possible vote for the president on impeachment. But smart money now says he will vote with his party. But there’s a small chance he bucks them, which would help him in deep red Montana.

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And then there’s Mittens.

Hates the president but loves his GOP Senate seat from conservative Utah. The pressure in Utah is already getting intense for him to hold up the GOP shield wall. Could vote with the president on one count and against on the other. Our call is that he sticks with the GOP on both counts.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Three Democratic Senators May Vote to Acquit Trump of Impeachment

According to a new report, three moderate Democratic senators have signaled they might vote to acquit President Donald Trump in the upper chamber’s impeachment trial.

Sens. Joe Manchin, Doug Jones and Kyrsten Sinema Might Vote to Acquit Trump

Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema could break ranks with their Democratic colleagues. At least one of them has also said they could vote in favor of only one impeachment article — the abuse of power — but oppose obstruction of Congress.

This week in an interview with Politico, Manchin said he will only support only one of the articles if he “can explain one and not the other.” He has yet to decide on whether he will run for re-election in 2024, said he won’t make a final decision on how he will vote until after the trial concludes.

“I know it’s hard to believe that. But I really am [undecided]. But I have not made a final decision. Every day, I hear something, I think ‘this is compelling, that’s compelling,’” Manchin said. “Everyone’s struggling a little bit.”

RELATED: Adam Schiff Wants Trump Removed Because He Won’t Do “What’s Right For This Country”

The most vulnerable Senate incumbent among Democrats is Jones, who had previously criticized the “obstruction of Congress” article and has said he is “troubled” that House Democrats failed to call White House officials as witnesses.

“I don’t think I’ve totally decided. I certainly have [been] leaning one way or the other. That needle moves” Jones told Politico. “I am leaning in certain ways but I want to hear, I truly, honestly, want to hear the entire trial.”

Sinema’s silence on impeachment suggests her vote is still undecided. A spokesperson said she supports gathering more evidence to “make a more fully informed decision at the end of the trial.”

Dems Push for John Bolton to Testify

Theses senators’ comments come as Democrats now want to call former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify as a witness. The New York Times reported Sunday that Bolton’s upcoming book reveals that President Trump wanted to tie U.S. military to Ukraine to inquiries into allegations of corruption in former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.

President Trump has rejected these claims, and took direct aim at Bolton Wednesday morning in a pair of tweets.

“For a guy who couldn’t get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldn’t get approved for anything since, ‘begged’ me for a non Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying ‘Don’t do it, sir,’ takes the job, mistakenly says ‘Libyan Model’ on T.V., and many more mistakes of judgement [sic], gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?” the president wrote.

RELATED: Trump Blasts Bolton Over ‘Nasty’ and ‘Untrue’ Book

Some liberals have urged others to call these senators and ask them to impeach Donald Trump.

What’s stopping conservatives from urging them to do the opposite?

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