Trump Impeachment News: Senate Republicans May Immediately Acquit President, No More Witnesses

The trial in the Republican-controlled Senate to remove president Donald Trump from office might be over in anywhere from a day to a year.

Reports originating from the Republican Party reveal top Senate Republicans are bent on calling for a vote to acquit Trump immediately after House Democrats and the White House deliver their arguments. Republicans claim this move will prevent partisan disagreements from lengthening the trial to no end.

The other option, which remains on the table, will be for Republicans to hold no impeachment trial at all and quickly voting to acquit. All in one day. Whichever option prevails, Republicans may quickly vote to acquit Trump.

On Tuesday, however, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated he's leaning towards a short Senate impeachment trial where no witnesses will be called. This stand places McConnell squarely at odds with Trump and his voter base, which are all-in for a full Senate trial with witnesses. McConnell then tried to hedge this bet by saying no decisions had been made on how the Senate trial will proceed.

McConnell's stand conforms with those of his colleagues, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

“At that point, I would expect that most members would be ready to vote and wouldn’t need more information,” said Barrasso, noted the right-wing Washington Examiner. “Many people have their minds pretty well made up.”

For his part, Graham told the portal, “Here’s what I want to avoid: this thing going on longer than it needs to ... I want to end this.”

However, Jason Miller, a former adviser to Trump, believes the President and his allies are looking forward to a full trial.

"President Trump's allies will want to see witnesses called," said Miller. "How many, and which witnesses, will quickly become a dividing line."

Trump seems to be in no danger of being removed from office by the Senate, a move that requires 67 votes. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate and all of them are expected to vote against impeaching Trump. There are 47 Democratic senators.

Republicans remain wary a lengthy trial, even in a Senate they control, might not turn out they way they expect. Chief among their concerns are hostile witnesses, and some Republicans senators believe no witnesses should be called to forestall this. On the other hand, other Republicans question if it's possible to even have a trial without witnesses. One Trump ally in the House said he's not sure how you have a fair trial without calling witnesses.

There's also the intractable problem of agreeing on which witnesses will testify. Senate impeachment rules require a majority vote to call witnesses. This means 51 votes. Senate sources said there's no “appetite” among Republicans to pursue testimony from people such as Hunter Biden and Joe Biden.