Senator Mitt Romney has stated that he remains undecided on calling witnesses during President Trump’s impeachment trial. However, he would be open to it if the vote was held after opening arguments.
Romney supports voting on witnesses after opening arguments, as occurred in the Clinton trial and as outlined in the organizing resolution, and would oppose attempts to vote on witnesses before opening arguments. #utpol
— Liz Johnson (@LJ0hnson) January 21, 2020
Romney: Overall, the organizing resolution “aligns closely with the rules package approved 100-0 during the Clinton trial.” #utpol
— Liz Johnson (@LJ0hnson) January 21, 2020
According to Town Hall:
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is one of a handful of moderate Republicans who is undecided as to whether the Senate should allow more witnesses in the impeachment trial against President Trump. He said he’s open to it, as long as they take the vote after opening arguments.
“As I have made clear to my colleagues and the public that the Senate should have the opportunity to decide on witnesses following the opening arguments, as occurred in the Clinton trial,” he wrote on Monday night. “The organizing resolution released tonight includes this step, and overall, it aligns closely with the rules package approved 100-0 during the Clinton trial. If attempts are made to vote on witnesses prior to opening arguments, I would oppose those efforts.”
However, precedent has gone out the window as of late. So much so that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is accusing the Republicans of participating in a “cover up” for the White House for being so resistant to more witnesses and the presentation of new documents.
As mentioned, Romney is one of the Republicans on the fence regarding additional witnesses. The other persuadable senators include Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Lamar Alexander (TN), and a few other retiring senators.
Senator Ted Cruz has stated he would be open to it but only in a strategic way to counter Democrat witnesses.