Impeachment: GOP leaders reportedly say they lack votes to block witnesses – live

  • Republican Collins: ‘There’s some gaps that need to be cleared up’
  • White House counsel to senators: reject articles of impeachment
  • Schiff says Trump’s lawyers ‘cannot defend president on facts’
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Though Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly told senators privately that he doesn’t have votes to block new witnesses in the impeachment trial, per multiple reports, there are still several days till senators would vote on the matter.

Senate Republicans may still block witnesses, and some GOP lawmakers are confident they’ll be able to do so, according to CNN.

While the votes aren't secured yet, GOP leaders are growing confident they can defeat a vote on witnesses following the initial alarm the Bolton book caused among Senate Rs. Many Rs amenable to argument that witnesses would drag it out with no clear end https://t.co/LKsAaRHEaS

Lev Parnas’ lawyer is expected to attend the Senate trial tomorrow.

Joseph Bondy asked Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer for gallery tickets, according to The Daily Beast, which first reported the news. Bondy’s co-counsel Stephanie Schuman is also expected to appear. Parnas himself may not be able to, as he wears an ankle monitor and electronics are banned in the trial chamber.

Lev Parnas attorney on attending Senate trial: “We are attending the trial w/ or w/o Mr. Parnas bc we believe our presence is important in reminding senators that indeed there should be witnesses heard and evidence taken and that anything short of that would not be a fair trial”

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Trump’s impeachment defense team glosses over new Bolton allegations

The ex-national security adviser’s book, which reportedly implicates the president over Ukraine, is hardly mentioned as trial continues

Lawyers for Donald Trump opted for a high-risk strategy in the sixth day of the president’s impeachment trial on Monday, avoiding mention of a major new development in the case even as Trump tweeted about it and some Republican senators told reporters that the tide against calling witnesses may have shifted.

On Sunday night, news broke that the former national security adviser John Bolton had written a book undermining the central claim of Trump’s defense, that Trump had never conditioned military aid for Ukraine on an announcement of investigations tied to his political rivals.

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‘The president did nothing wrong’: key takeaways from Trump defense’s opening arguments

President’s defense repeatedly came around to a basic argument: nothing Trump did in withholding aid to Ukraine was unusual

Donald Trump’s legal defense team began their argument Saturday during a three-hour session of the impeachment proceedings against the president.

Here are the five key takeaways:

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Welcome to the Trump show: defense argues president is a victim and Democrats are villains

White House counsel says prosecution aims to pull off ‘the most massive interference in an election in American history’

Welcome to Day One of the Trump Show.

It was, admittedly, an inauspicious start to what was teased as a “trailer” for the rollicking show to come next week in the historic impeachment trial of Donald Trump.

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Trump team begins argument president broke no laws at impeachment trial

Donald Trump’s lawyers began making their case Saturday, with a longer, more meaningful session expected for Monday

Donald Trump’s legal team on Saturday argued that Donald Trump broke no laws and Democrats’ move to impeach him was simply an attempt to delegitimize Trump’s presidency.

Related: The key takeaways from day three of the impeachment trial

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Democrats focus on Ukraine ‘cover-up’ as marathon impeachment case wraps

White House tried to hide records of Trump’s call with Ukrainian president and block whistleblower complaint, say Democrats

Democrats concluded the presentation of their case against Donald Trump at his impeachment trial on Friday, with the lead prosecutor Adam Schiff calling on Republicans to exercise “moral courage” and vote in favor of calling witnesses at the trial next week.

“Give America a fair trial,” Schiff concluded after three marathon days of argument. “She’s worth it.”

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‘Trump tried to cheat, he got caught’: Hakeem Jeffries on the president’s alleged offences – video

On the fourth day of Trump's trial for impeachment in the US senate, impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries warned that the president's actions toward Ukraine had put the country in jeopardy.

The New York Democrat also warned of a 'toxic mess' emanating from the White House, that 'is our collective job on behalf of the people to try and clean up'. 

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Democrats say impeachment case ‘has been proved’ as they make final pitch – live

  • On recording Trump calls for ousting of Marie Yovanovitch
  • Impeachment managers will finish presenting opening arguments today
  • Next Trump’s lawyers will be given up to 24 hours to begin their defense
  • Help us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution

“Give America a fair trial,” impeachment manager Adam Schiff said, wrapping up the Democrats’ opening statements. “She’s worth it.”

And just like that, Senate has adjourned for the night. The impeachment trial continues tomorrow morning.

As impeachment manager Adam Schiff continues to talk, Donald Trump has gone on a retweeting frenzy. He reposted a tweet of his from earlier today, as well as one from the Senate Republicans account, and one each from Republican senators John Barrasso and Marsha Blackburn.

This obsession with impeachment* is out of hand.

Tennesseans have their priorities straight: trade, border security, and creating jobs. pic.twitter.com/vNFjPBA2MQ

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Impeachment trial: Democrats cry hypocrisy as Republicans say ‘we’ve seen this before’ – live updates

  • Democrats continue prosecution on third day of trial
  • Jerry Nadler says Trump’s conduct ‘puts even Nixon to shame’
  • Democrats criticize Republicans, who claim house managers are repeating themselves, for not allowing new evidence
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A few more scenes from the trial chamber:

Senators and 2020 Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar reportedly shared a laugh.

On the floor, Bernie Sanders looked quite tired, ultimately got up, walked to the back of the chamber - and chatted briefly with Amy Klobuchar. She pointed to something in her binder. They both shared a laugh and Sanders retreated to the cloak room.

Sen. Tillis is not in his seat at the moment. He’s sitting watching from above in the visitor gallery, for some reason

Emphasizing that nearly $400m in congressionally-appropriated military aid to Ukraine was held up for no good reason, the impeachment manager Zoe Lofgren, with the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, sitting nearby, pointed out: “Even Senator McConnell has said ‘I was not given an explanation’ for the hold.”

The evidence is clear that Donald Trump “knowingly, willfully violated the law when he withheld the aid to Ukraine”, Lofgren said. “It shows the great lengths the president was willing to go to in order to pressure Ukraine to do his dirty work.”

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Impeachment: Democrats say conduct is ‘not America first, but Trump first’

  • House managers make case for president’s removal from office
  • So far, all the signs are that Republicans are unmoved

Donald Trump put his personal political interests ahead of his country’s national security and free and fair elections, prosecutors at his impeachment trial on Capitol Hill said on Thursday, telling US senators: “This conduct is not ‘America first’. It is Donald Trump first.”

Democratic impeachment managers, who are acting as the prosecutors bringing the case for Trump’s removal from office, were spending a second day in Washington laying out their case against Trump in only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history.

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Trump impeachment: Schiff says Trump tried to ‘cheat’ way to re-election – as it happened

  • Impeachment managers have 24 hours over three days to make case
  • Republicans accuse Dems of repeating selves but won’t call witnesses
  • Trump has broken his own tweeting record as he defends himself

That wraps up the second full day of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Catch up on The Guardian’s coverage:

Related: 'Our future is not assured': Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

Report: Tomorrow, the Trump administration is expected to finalize a rule to strip away environmental protections for streams, rivers, and wetlands.

Under the new regulations, for the first time in decades, landlords and businesses will be allowed to dump pollutants and pesticides directly into bodies of water.

From Day 1 of his administration, President Trump vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s “Waters of the United States” regulation, which had frustrated rural landowners...

“I terminated one of the most ridiculous regulations of all: the last administration’s disastrous Waters of the United States rule,” Mr. Trump told the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in Texas on Sunday, to rousing applause. He added, “That was a rule that basically took your property away from you.”

Related: 'Our future is not assured': Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

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‘Our future is not assured’: Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

  • Impeachment manager describes moment of historic national crisis
  • After rejecting fresh witnesses, Republicans say they heard nothing new
  • Some senators exit chamber despite trial rules

Striving to make himself heard across partisan lines, the lead impeachment prosecutor filled his opening argument against Donald Trump on the Senate floor on Wednesday with invitations, warnings and appeals designed to win Republican backing for a substantial trial.

Using flowing evocations of constitutional history, the global promise of US democracy, and the stakes should it all be allowed to slip, Democrat Adam Schiff framed his story of Trump’s wrongdoing as a national crisis demanding a non-partisan remedy.

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‘Loose with the truth’: Chuck Schumer on the gravity of Donald Trump’s alleged offences – video

Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader, said Donald Trump’s defence team appeared 'unprepared, confused and unconvincing' during the first day of debate at the president’s impeachment trial on Tuesday.

All but one Republican voted against the amendments offered by Democrats, which was approved by the Senate on a party line vote in the early hours of Wednesday morning

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Impeachment trial against Trump begins: the key moments of day one – video

Donald Trump’s impeachment trial began in the US Senate, with Democrats pushing back against the rules set out by the Republican-held senate. Democrats accused Republicans of covering up for the president as their amendments to trial proceedings were voted down repeatedly

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As Trump goes on trial, so does the conscience of the Republican party

Can Republicans divorce themselves from a demagogue? The impeachment trial’s first day offers little hope

A lone figure in a blue suit slipped quietly into the front row of the US Senate public gallery just before 3.30pm on Tuesday and gazed down at his former colleagues.

Jeff Flake, the former Republican senator from Arizona, had returned to Washington to witness two trials. One was that of an impeached American president accused of strong-arming a foreign government for his own political ends. The other was a trial of the conscience of the Republican party.

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Trump impeachment: senators kill Democratic efforts to subpoena more evidence – live

  • First day of trial sees hours of debate over procedure
  • House manager Adam Schiff calls process ‘ass-backwards’
  • Senate votes down amendments brought by Democrats

After 13 hours of debate, Republican senators pushed through the organizing resolution for the impeachment proposed by Mitch McConnell, without any of the 11 amendments proposed by Democrats.

The trial is now adjourned until 1pm ET on Wednesday.

The final amendment proposed by minority leader Chuck Schumer would allow Chief Justice John Roberts — as a neutral party — to decide whether to allow motions to subpoena witnesses or documents.

Finally, the senators are voting on the organizing resolution for the impeachment trial, as proposed by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

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Trump impeachment trial: the key senators who could cross party lines

While a conviction is unlikely, some Republican senators such as Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins could break ranks over trial procedure while two Democrats could back the president

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has pledged “total coordination” with the White House in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. But the 47-member Democratic caucus in the Senate could take control of key parts of the process, enabling them to call witnesses or merely to prevent a quick dismissal of the case, by recruiting four Republicans to make a 51-seat majority.

A two-thirds majority of 67 senators would be needed to convict and remove Trump from office, a seemingly unreachable number for Democrats.

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Trump lawyers argue impeachment case is ‘flimsy’ as trial looms

White House’s brief also claimed process has been a ‘charade’ and Trump did ‘absolutely nothing wrong’ in dealings with Ukraine

Lawyers acting on behalf of Donald Trump on Monday branded the impeachment case against him “flimsy” and a “dangerous perversion of the constitution”, setting the stage for the opening of his long-awaited Senate trial on Tuesday.

As the president prepared to jet off to Davos, where he is set to give a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, the White House submitted its formal trial defence brief, a 110-page document in which it also claimed the impeachment process has been a “charade” and insisted Trump did “absolutely nothing wrong” in his dealings with Ukraine.

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Impeachment: Trump wants Senate trial over before State of the Union address

Donald Trump wants his impeachment trial to end before his state of the union address in just two weeks’ time, Lindsey Graham said on Sunday.

Related: Alan Dershowitz: Trump impeachment acquittal would make me unhappy

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Trump legal team calls impeachment ‘brazen’ attempt to overturn 2016 election

Donald Trump’s legal team has delivered a fiery response to impeachment summons from the Senate, calling the two articles passed by the House “a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president”.

Related: Impeachment: is Trump set to survive and win a second term?

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