Impeachment trial of President Trump

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 1:16 AM ET, Fri January 31, 2020

Where things stand

Senators have wrapped up two days of questions for the House managers and President Trump's team.
What happens next: The Senate's trial rules say there will be four hours of debate and then a vote on whether the Senate should seek witnesses and documents. If the Senate defeats that resolution, the trial is likely to head to a quick acquittal.

Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts to read more about the impeachment trial of President Trump.

11:19 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Lamar Alexander will vote "no" on witnesses and new evidence

AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin

Sen. Lamar Alexander, Republican from Tennessee, just announced he will vote against witnesses and documents.

Here's what he said in his statement:

“I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but 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 offense."

Here's what this means: With Alexander announcing he is a no on witnesses and documents, and Sen. Susan Collins announcing that she is yes, it means there are 50 votes against moving ahead, and the impeachment trial will likely end as early as Friday night. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she will announce her vote on witnesses tomorrow morning.

11:01 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

McConnell: "Tomorrow will be a big day"

From CNN's Ted Barrett

As he departed the Capitol on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not say whether he is confident he has the votes to block witnesses in the impeachment trial.

But he did say: "Tomorrow will be a big day."

11:03 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Murkowski does not plan to announce her decision on witness vote tonight

From CNN's Ellie Kaufman

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she does not plan to announce her decision on the witness vote tonight, only saying she was going back to her office to “keep reading.”

“You can actually take pictures of my two volumes here, one and a half. I’m going to go back to my office, put some eye drops in so I can keep reading. I’ve been forming a lot of thoughts, so that’s gonna be my job now,” she said, referring to the volumes of notes she had taken during the trial so far.

When asked if she plans to announce in the morning, she said “yeah.”

When asked which way she’s leaning, she said, “I’m going to go read my volumes here,” and got on the Senate subway.

10:59 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Collins to vote in support of witnesses

From CNN's Ted Barrett and Phil Mattingly

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the moderate Republican, said late Thursday she would vote in support of witnesses in the impeachment trial.

"I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed," Collins wrote in a statement.

11:01 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Murkowski: “I am going to reflect on what I’ve heard”

From CNN's Lauren Fox

Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a key Republican swing vote, says she will continue to reflect on the trial so far before making her views on witnesses known.

“I am going to go reflect on what I have heard, re-read my notes and decide whether I need to hear more," she wrote in a statement.

10:56 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Key Republican says he'll announce his decision on witnesses within the hour

From CNN's Ted Barrett

Sen. Lamar Alexander, AP Photo/Steve Helber

Sen. Lamar Alexander said his statement will come within the hour. He said he has told Mitch McConnell his decision.

Asked if it was a difficult decision, he said he will let it speak for itself.

10:52 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

The senators asked 87 questions today

From CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee

Senate TV

The senators asked 87 questions in today’s session.

They asked 93 questions yesterday, for a total of 180 questions asked over the two-day question-and-answer session.

The trial resumes Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

10:42 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

The trial is adjourned

The question-and-answer portion of the trial has ended. The Senate has adjourned until 1 p.m. Friday.

10:49 p.m. ET, January 30, 2020

Nadler: House proved that Trump abused his power "beyond any doubt"

Senate TV

House manager Jerry Nadler closed out the question-and-answer portion of the trial by stating that there is "only one relevant question" for the senators to consider.

Nadler said:

"Did the president abuse his power by violating the law to withhold military aid from a foreign country, to extort that country into helping him — into helping his reelection campaign by slandering his opponent? That's the only relevant question for this trial. The House managers have proved that question beyond any doubt."

Nadler added that the President's team is "afraid of the witnesses" like John Bolton because they "will only strengthen the case" to remove Trump.

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