Senate so far split along party lines on Trump impeachment

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is so far cleaving neatly along party lines in advance of Wednesday’s virtually certain votes to acquit President Donald Trump on two impeachment charges, with just two or three undecided members even considering breaking with their party.

The chamber’s top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, again slammed the impeachment drive of House Democrats as “the most rushed, least fair and least thorough” in history and confirmed that he will vote to acquit Trump.

The trial is cruising to impeachment tallies that will fall short of even a majority of the GOP-held Senate, much less the two-thirds required to remove Trump from office and install Vice President Mike Pence.

McConnell said the two charges against Trump — that he abused his power and obstructed Congress’ ensuing investigation — are “constitutionally incoherent” and don’t “even approach a case for the first presidential removal in American history.”

The Kentucky Republican opened the Senate with a scathing assessment of the case presented by House Democrats, but he did not address whether Trump’s actions were inappropriate or wrong, as some Senate Republicans have conceded.

McConnell has dodged question about whether Trump’s actions — pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to announce an investigation into Trump’s political rival Joe Biden — were inappropriate.

He led an effort last week to deny Democrats any opportunity to call witnesses before the Senate, and he has worked closely with the Trump White House in shepherding the case through the Senate.

The final days of the trial have focused attention on a handful of senators in both parties who were viewed as potential votes to break with their party.

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