Three Senate Democrats Remain Undecided on Impeachment Conviction
A trio of moderate Senate Democrats has remained undecided on whether to convict President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in the upcoming impeachment vote.
Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have held off from publicly committing to vote to convict or acquit the president. All hail from states with large Republican constituencies.
“I know it’s hard to believe that. But I really am [undecided]. But I have not made a final decision. Every day, I hear something, I think ‘this is compelling, that’s compelling,'” Manchin said on Tuesday, according to Politico. “Everyone’s struggling a little bit.”
Manchin’s statements echo comments he made in December, when he said he was “torn” on the prospect of impeachment.
Doug Jones, who defeated Roy Moore in a special election to become the first Democratic senator from Alabama since 1992, is caught between party loyalty and his many Republican constituents. Jones faces a difficult reelection run, possibly against Jeff Sessions.
“I don’t think I’ve totally decided [on impeachment]. I certainly have [been] leaning one way or the other,” Jones said. “I am leaning in certain ways but I want to hear, I truly, honestly, want to hear the entire trial.”
Sinema, meanwhile, has made no public comments regarding impeachment since the start of the trial. The freshman senator has already broken from her caucus on significant votes during her short tenure in Washington, though her public support for calling witnesses in the impeachment trial may signal a standing suspicion of wrongdoing.
The president’s legal counsel concluded their arguments in Trump’s defense on Tuesday. The Senate will now engage in a two-day question-and-answer period before it votes on whether to subpoena witnesses and additional evidence.
