Murkowski Decries Impeachment Process, Announces ‘I Cannot Vote to Convict’ President Trump
Senator Lisa Murkowski said tonight she will not vote to convict President Donald Trump.
BREAKING: Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces that she will vote to acquit President Trump: "The response to the president's behavior is not to disenfranchise nearly 63 million Americans and remove him from the ballot … I cannot vote to convict." https://t.co/wPjRo6gWeK pic.twitter.com/EbXstqd2hf
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 3, 2020
Murkowski was seen as a key moderate Republican in Senate votes on the trial, but last week she voted against calling further witnesses, and it’s now expected the Senate will ultimately vote to acquit the president.
The Alaska senator railed against the “rank partisanship” from both sides, and once again criticized the House of Representatives for what she’s called the “flawed” process of pursuing this impeachment.
She criticized the president’s actions but said they could have pursued censure — an option being floated today by Democrat Joe Manchin – instead of the “remedy of last resort.”
“I cannot vote to convict. The Constitution provides for impeachment but does not demand it in all instances,” Murkowski ultimately said tonight.
