Democrats fall short of numbers to call witnesses in Donald Trump trial

Path cleared for Donald Trump to be acquitted within days as Republicans use vote to stop testimony from witnesses.

The US Senate has voted against calling witnesses and collecting new evidence in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, clearing the way for his likely acquittal in the coming days.

By a vote of 51-49, the Republican-controlled Senate on Friday stopped Democrats’ drive to hear testimony from witnesses like former national security adviser John Bolton.

Democrats have worked to get at least four Republicans to support the effort, but their hopes ­appeared dashed on Friday when Republican senator Lamar Alexander, who had been undecided, declared further evidence in the case was unnecessary.

“There is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States constitution’s high bar for an impeachable offence,” he said.

Barring an unforeseen change of heart by another Republican senator, it appeared Senator ­Alexander’s decision would bring a swifter conclusion to Mr Trump’s two-week trial. The backing of two-thirds of the Senate is required to remove Trump. He is unlikely to be convicted.

Democrats had hoped to hear from former national security ­adviser John Bolton after a report — which he has not denied — that he planned to say in an upcoming book that Mr Trump told him he wanted to freeze $US391m in US military aid for Ukraine until it investigated Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was vice-president.

Two moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, had indicated they would like Mr Bolton to testify, but another moderate Lisa Murkowski had not flagged how she would vote.

Democrats would also need to keep the vote of three centrists on their own side — Doug Jones, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — who hail from pro-Trump districts and may be tempted to side with the President.

A vote for new witnesses and documents would extend the Senate trial for weeks and inject uncertainty and perils for both Mr Trump and the Democrats.

On the final day of questions from senators, Democrats ­accused Mr Trump’s lawyers of echoing the disgraced Richard Nixon in claiming a president could do nearly anything so long as they believe their re-election is in the public interest.

Democrats used a question to attack Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz over the startling claims he made the previous day when he suggested a quid pro quo made by a president to help his own ­re-election was justified.

“If the president does something that he thinks will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Professor Dershowitz said.

In response, House of Representatives lead impeachment manger Adam Schiff described the comments as “a descent into constitutional madness”, saying they essentially boiled down to the infamous claim made by Nixon: “If the president does it, it’s not illegal.”

“Yesterday the President’s ­defenders argued that a president of the United States could do ­essentially whatever he wanted to ­secure his re-election, no matter how corrupt, if he believed his re-election was in the national interest … That is the most absurdly dangerous argument that could have been made,” Mr Schiff said.

“Now, the only reason you make that argument is because you know your client is guilty and dead to rights. That is an argument made of desperation.”

Former secretary of state and Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also weighed in, tweeting: “Richard Nixon once made this argument: ‘When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal’. He was forced to resign in disgrace. In America, no one is above the law.”

Under pressure, Professor Dershowitz moved on Friday (AEDT) to clarify his remarks, saying: “Presidents cannot do anything illegal in order to get re-elected. But nor can their lawful behaviour be turned into a criminal or impeachable offence just because it was motivated in part by electoral considerations.”

The question of witnesses has become a flashpoint for the trial after Mr Bolton’s explosive claims in the draft of a book in which he says Mr Trump told him he wanted to keep freezing US aid to Ukraine until it aided investigations into Democrats, including Joe and Hunter Biden. Mr Bolton’s account, which contradicts those of Mr Trump and his lawyers, are the first direct claims the President deliberately withheld aid to leverage an investigation.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia