Trump acquitted at impeachment trial

Two Republican Senate committee chairmen requested Hunter Biden’s travel information from when his father, Joe Biden, was vice president from the Secret Service director on Wednesday following the Senate’s vote to acquit in the impeachment trial of President Trump.

Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, announced in a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray that their panels “are reviewing potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama administration.”

“We write to request information about whether Hunter Biden used government-sponsored travel to help conduct private business, to include his work for Rosemont Seneca and related entities in China and Ukraine,” the chairmen wrote, referencing a firm co-founded by Hunter Biden.

Some context: The chairmen’s timing is notable, as the impeachment trial centered largely on Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, his potential political rival.

Trump has repeatedly made unfounded and false claims to allege that the Bidens acted improperly in Ukraine.

CNN has reached out to the Secret Service for comment. A spokesperson for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign declined to comment.

President Trump has been acquitted. And while he says he’ll extend the saga into another day with a statement tomorrow, at least some of his aides are looking ahead.

Most pressing, those aides say, is containing the coronavirus outbreak in China. Administration efforts to combat the virus and prevent it from entering the US are already well underway. But some administration officials acknowledge there will be greater attention on the subject now that impeachment is over.

Next week the White House will present its yearly budget, which will be closely scrutinized as a list of administration priorities. Already, a dust-up ensued after the administration signaled it could propose cutting foreign aid to Ukraine, forcing them to announce the money would stay at current levels. The White House is planning a traditional roll-out for the proposal.

Trump himself is itching to ramp up his campaigning as the election year gets underway. He’ll be in New Hampshire next Monday on the eve of that state’s first-in-the-nation primary. But officials say he’s eager to add more events to his schedule — particularly as the Democratic race heats up.

One official said to expect at least one rally a week for the rest of the year. And though much depends on his other commitments, Trump has told aides he wants to eventually return to the pace he kept during the 2016 campaign.

Trump is also expected to scale up his fundraising efforts, including during a West Coast swing in the coming weeks.

There is little hope for major pieces of bipartisan legislation in the months ahead — a reality that predated impeachment but now appears intractable. Trump aides have still pushed forward on a measure that would lower costs of prescription drugs. And there remains discussion of potential tax measures the President could use on the campaign trail, but they remain in the very early stages, and Trump made no mention of a possible tax cut in his State of the Union address.

On the move: Trump will travel to India in the coming weeks on a state visit, where he’ll boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite concerns over his overly nationalist bent.  

But there isn’t a whole lot of other foreign travel outlooked for the rest of the year, particularly because the G7 summit will occur this June at Camp David.

Trump has invited Southeast Asian leaders for a meeting in Las Vegas next month, though it’s not clear how the planning for that has progressed. And he hasn’t said yet whether he’ll accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend a military parade in May.

President Trump was in the Oval Office watching the vote in the Senate this afternoon, his adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters on the White House lawn this evening.

Conway also said the President will meet with members of his legal team later tonight.

Conway said the President was “in the Oval Office at that time,” as the votes came in, adding that she was “in and out” of the office, along with others. 

“He had a bunch of other meetings, other things going on, and he’s with his legal team later tonight,” she said, “and he’s just very pleased.”

The President is going to a dinner in the residence tonight that has been “planned for a while” and “has nothing to do with today’s events,” Conway said. She would not say with who. 

Conway also downplayed Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote to remove the President from office and leaned on bipartisan opposition to impeachment in the House in her first comments after the President’s acquittal in the Senate. 

Asked by CNN about the fact that the acquittal wasn’t bipartisan and about the White House reaction to Romney’s vote, Conway said she didn’t “have much of a reaction to that.”

Vice President Mike Pence celebrated the President’s acquittal while giving remarks to a Women for Trump event in Pennsylvania today. 

In his first public comments since the Senate voted not to remove the President from office, Pence told the crowd that it has been an, “incredible week.” 

“Just a little while ago the United States Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment,” Pence said, to which the crowd cheered and began a chant of “four more years.”

“After months of a sham investigation and a partisan investigation,” Pence announced, “it’s over America.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the decision to acquit President Trump on the two articles of impeachment an act of “lawlessness” orchestrated by Sen. Mitch McConnell, a “rogue leader in the Senate who would cowardly abandon his duty to uphold the Constitution.”

Pelosi released the statement this afternoon after Trump was acquitted of both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

“President Trump was impeached with the support of a majority of the American people – a first in our nation’s history. And now he is the first President in history to face a bipartisan vote to convict him in the Senate. A full 75% of Americans and many members of the GOP Senate believe the President’s behavior is wrong. But the Senate chose instead to ignore the facts, the will of the American people and their duty to the Constitution,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi added: “The President will boast that he has been acquitted. There can be no acquittal without a trial, and there is no trial without witnesses, documents and evidence. By suppressing the evidence and rejecting the most basic elements of a fair judicial process, the Republican Senate made themselves willing accomplices to the President’s cover-up.”

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the Senate’s acquittal vote today is “full vindication and exoneration” for President Trump.

“As we have said all along, he is not guilty. The Senate voted to reject the baseless articles of impeachment, and only the President’s political opponents – all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles,” she said in a statement.

She added that despite the impeachment investigation and trial, Trump has “successfully advanced the interests of the United States and remained focused on the issues that matter to Americans.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to say whether President Trump’s conduct was inappropriate when pressed multiple times by reporters at a news conference this afternoon after the Senate acquitted the President of both charges.

McConnell spoke about the political impact of impeachment saying it has been helpful for his members in difficult races. McConnell also said he was “surprised and disappointed” with GOP Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote to convict Trump on the first article of impeachment. 

“I can tell you this, right now, this is a political loser for them,” McConnell said, referring to Democrats. “They initiated it, they thought this was a great idea and at least for the short term, it has been a colossal political mistake.”

Asked if he’s willing to concede if Trump did anything wrong, the Kentucky Republican dodged the question and said he wanted to talk about today and the “political impact of this.” Some of McConnell’s GOP colleagues have said that it’s inappropriate for the President to investigate a foreign rival.

“Listen, we voted,” McConnell said. “It’s time to move on … as far as I’m concerned it’s in the rear-view mirror.”

President Trump just tweeted that he’ll speak from the White House tomorrow about the impeachment trial, which ended today with his acquittal.

He said he’ll deliver a statement at noon ET.

Today, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on two articles of impeachment.

On the article of abuse of power, the Senate found the President not guilty by a vote of 52-48, with Republican Sen. Mitt Romney breaking ranks and joining the Democrats voting not guilty. On the article of obstruction of congress, the Senate found him not guilty by a vote of 53-47.

Regardless of today’s vote, Trump will remain impeached forever. Similarly, former President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House but acquitted in his Senate trial. Trump has joined Clinton and President Andrew Johnson as the only three Presidents in US history who have been impeached.

Today’s acquittal brings nearly five months of the impeachment inquiry and trial that sprang forth from a whistleblower’s complaint over Trump’s comments to the President of Ukraine over the summer to an end.

But there could be more investigations to come: Democrats have vowed to continue investigating Trump and his administration, and that includes some unanswered questions that came up during this impeachment investigation.

A key development to watch is whether the Democratically-controlled House committees will subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton.

Bolton, who never testified during the House inquiry, said last month that he’d be willing to testify in the Senate trial if subpoenaed. The Senate voted against seeking witness testimony, but the House has said it’ll continue its investigations and kept the door open to calling Bolton to testify.

In his first public reaction to being acquitted in the Senate, President Trump retweeted a video of a Time magazine cover showing Trump campaign signs from 2024, 2028 and beyond. 

This isn’t the first time the President has tweeted the video.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham shared how he was feeling after the historic vote to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment.

“I feel good,” said Graham, an ally of Trump.

Graham said he was “surprised” by GOP Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power charge. Romney also voted to acquit Trump on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders said today “is not a good day for America.”

The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump officially adjourned after senators acquitted Trump on both articles of impeachment.

The vote on the first article, abuse of power, was 52-48, with GOP Sen. Mitt Romney joining Democrats in their “guilty” votes. The vote on the second article, obstruction of justice, was along party lines, 53-47.

The Senate is now in recess until next week.

Watch the impeachment trial adjourn:

Outside the Capitol, dozens of protesters were seen chanting as the second article of impeachment was read inside the chamber.

President Trump was acquitted just moments ago on both articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.

Numerous cars awaiting Senators were spotted idling near the protesters.

Sen. Mitt Romney’s car is parked directly in front of the Senate steps that lead to the chamber, away from the other cars.

Protesters are holding signs that spell “coverup.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just announced that the Senate will give Chief Justice John Roberts a golden gavel to thank him for his time presiding over the trial.

Roberts presided over the trial while still serving on the Supreme Court.

“We know full well that his presence as our presiding officer came in addition to — not instead of — his day job across the street. So the Senate thanks the chief justice and his staff who helped him to perform this unique role,” McConnell said.

Here’s how McConnell described the award:

“We typically award this to new senators after about 100 hours in the chair, but we can all believe that the chief justice has put in his due and then some.”

Senators just voted to find President Trump not guilty on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.

The vote was 53-47. GOP Sen. Mitt Romney — who voted to convict Trump on the abuse of power charge — voted to acquit him on this charge.

Moments ago, Trump was acquitted on the other article of impeachment, abuse of power. The two votes bring the historic and bitter impeachment fight to a close.

Watch the moment Chief Justice John Roberts reads the verdict:

Senators just acquitted President Trump on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power. They’re now moving on to the second article, obstruction of Congress.

Again, the senators will vote from their desks when their names are called, saying either “guilty” or “not guilty.” 

At least 67 senators need to vote guilty in order to convict Trump.

Senators just voted to find President Trump not guilty on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power.

The vote was 52-48. GOP Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump. He’s the first senator in US history to vote to convict a president from the same party in an impeachment trial.

The Senate will now vote on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.

Watch Chief Justice John Roberts read the results:

More than 34 senators have voted to acquit President Trump on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power.

Remember: Senators can change their votes until Chief Justice John Roberts gavels the vote in.

The vote is ongoing.

Senators are voting on whether on convict President Trump on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power.

The senators will vote from their desks when their names are called, saying either “guilty” or “not guilty.” At least 67 senators need to vote guilty in order to convict Trump.

After this vote, they’ll move onto the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress.

In the days leading up to today’s final vote, White House officials were confident in the outcome: President Trump would be acquitted. So instead they focused on having a bipartisan impeachment vote.

And with Sen. Romney’s announcement he will vote yes on the articles, there will be a bipartisan vote — just not the one Trump’s impeachment team wanted.

In discussions with Trump in the last several days, aides reassured him they could likely get at least one red state Democrat to vote for his acquittal, focusing on Doug Jones, Kyrsten Sinema or Joe Manchin.

Today, all three of those Democrats announced they would vote to convict Trump.

Officials seemed the most confident that Manchin would vote to acquit, based on conversations aides had with Republican senators in recent days. Then, moments before the vote Wednesday, Manchin announced he’s voting yes on both articles. 

“I did not expect this,” one official texted about the decision. 

While Sen. Mitt Romney’s colleagues have said the Utah senator’s vote was a personal choice and one they generally respect, behind the scenes there is significant frustration with his decision to vote to convict President Trump. 

Romney did not tell any colleagues about his decision in advance of the speech this afternoon.

Yet his team did craft press rollout — several print interviews and a TV interview embargoed until his delivery — that has irked colleagues.

“I’ll give him this: professional rollout,” one GOP Senator told CNN. “Not very collegial, but very professional.”

A bigger issue, several GOP aides said, was the possibility Romney’s decision would step on the headline of the President’s acquittal in the press.

“All you guys are going to lead with Romney,” one senior GOP aide said. “Not the fact the President was acquitted and is through with this.”

Before the vote, members of GOP leadership had emitted a confidence that Romney would vote with them only to leave them all surprised watching TV.

To be clear, Romney was at the point where he owed his colleagues little.

His pleas for witnesses and documents in closed-door meetings in the final week were largely scoffed at and ignored, according to people in the room.

Sen. Joe Manchin will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment this afternoon, according to a statement.

This means that the vote will be 52-48 with only GOP Sen. Mitt Romney breaking ranks.

Here’s what Manchin said in a statement:

“Voting whether or not to remove a sitting President has been a truly difficult decision, and after listening to the arguments presented by both sides, I have reached my conclusion reluctantly. For the reasons above I must vote yes on the articles of impeachment. I take no pleasure in these votes, and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren. I have always wanted this President, and every President to succeed, but I deeply love our country and must do what I think is best for the nation.”

Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment, according to a statement from her office.

Her statement says:

“The facts are clear; security aid was withheld from Ukraine in an attempt to benefit the president’s political campaign. While White House attorneys claim this behavior is not serious, it is dangerous to the fundamental principles of American democracy to use the power of the federal government for personal or political gain. Worse, they failed to assure the American people that this behavior will not continue and that future national security decisions will be made free from personal interests.”

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin called Republican Sen. Mitt Romney’s speech “very powerful, very powerful.”

Manchin, of West Virginia, reacted to Romney’s announcement as he walked on to the Senate floor for the vote.

He refused to say how he is going to vote but said he would not be impacted by Romney and that this would be his own decision.

The White House was caught off guard by GOP Sen. Mitt Romney’s announcement today that he will vote to convict President Trump on the first article of impeachment — abuse of power, two White House officials tell CNN. 

Romney’s announcement makes him the first GOP senator to sway from the party line.  

Republicans senators are weighing in on their colleague Mitt Romney’s announcement that he will vote to convict President Trump this afternoon. Romney will be the first senator in US history to vote to convict a president from the same party in an impeachment trial.

Here’s some of their reactions:

Sen. Mitt Romney said this afternoon that he will vote to remove President Trump from office on the House’s charge of abuse of power, making the Utah Republican the first senator in US history to vote to convict a president from the same party in an impeachment trial.

According to CNN reporting from 1999, not one Democratic senator voted to convict President Bill Clinton, a fellow Democrat, on the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

In the 1868 impeachment of trial of President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, none of the senators from his party voted to convict him, according to the US Senate.

Sen. Mitt Romney just announced he’ll vote to convict President Trump, becoming the first Republican to break rank with his party.

While this was expected inside the White House, one thing officials have been discussing behind the scenes for the last several days is the awkward position this vote will put his niece, and Republican National Committee chair, Ronna McDaniel in. 

She is very close to the President and his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and the two often call Trump together to go over fundraising and poll numbers. Trump has complained to her regularly since Romney became a rare voice in the party who at times openly criticizes him. 

Trump has been particularly annoyed by Romney’s comments about his call with the Ukrainian president over the last several months. 

“Ronna Romney McDaniel better declare her uncle persona non grata or there will be a major push by Trumpers in the RNC to censure the junior senator from Utah and perhaps, just perhaps, oust her,” one RNC insider told CNN today. 

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told reporters that he was emotional in the chamber as he listened to Republican Sen. Mitt Romney say he will vote to convict President Trump.

Murphy’s voice was shaking as he told reporters, “I was choked up listening to him speak.”

He said it was the “toughest thing in the world” to stand up to his party and donors.

Murphy said that history would remember Romney kindly.

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz took to Twitter to champion Romney.

“Thank you, Mitt. You have restored my faith in the Senate and the idea that putting country over party is still possible,” the Democratic senator said.

Just moments ago: Romney, a Republican from Utah, said what Trump did “was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values.”

“Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine,” he added.

Watch Romney get emotional during his announcement:

Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, said he will vote to convict in the impeachment of President Trump.

Romney said Trump is “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”

He said what Trump did “was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values.”

Romney added: “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.”

He said he believed that his vote to convict Trump would be in the “minority” and Trump would not be found guilty.

“My vote will likely be in the minority in the Senate, but irrespective of these things, with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability believing that my country expected it of me,” Romney said.

Romney will convict Trump on abuse of power and acquit him on obstruction of Congress, his spokesperson said. 

Watch here:

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

Protesters were arrested in the Capitol rotunda this afternoon while chanting, “Trump is guilty … Honor your oaths.”

A law enforcement official told CNN that 10 people were arrested. 

Later this afternoon: Senators will vote on the articles of impeachment against President Trump at 4 p.m. ET, roughly five months after a whistleblower’s complaint over the President’s comments to the President of Ukraine over the summer kicked off the inquiry.

It’s a historic day in Washington as President Trump’s impeachment trial comes to a close.

Meanwhile, The Brief’s Bianca Nobilo has been keeping track of the day’s headlines outside Capitol Hill.

Here’s what you need to know:

Watch for more:

The final impeachment vote later today will bring an end to the nearly five months of the impeachment inquiry and trial that sprang forth from a whistleblower’s complaint over Trump’s comments to the President of Ukraine over the summer.

However, Democrats have vowed to continue investigating Trump and his administration, and that includes some unanswered questions that came up during the investigation.

A key development to watch is whether the Democratically-controlled House committees will subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton. Bolton, who never testified during the House inquiry, said last month that he’d be willing to testify in the Senate trial if subpoenaed. The Senate voted against seeking witness testimony, but the House has said it’ll continue its investigations and kept the door open to calling Bolton to testify.

Regardless of today’s vote, Trump will remained impeached forever. Similarly, former President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House but acquitted in his Senate trial. Trump has joined Clinton and President Andrew Johnson as the only three Presidents in US history who have been impeached.

President Trump’s impeachment team will be on Capitol Hill for the vote this afternoon, two people tell CNN.

The Senate is expected to hold the final vote at 4 p.m. ET.

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, said the senators “have failed in our duty to the American people.”

In a fiery speech, the presidential candidate criticized the way the trial was run.

“We are the only body on planet earth charged with the responsibility of dealing with the guilt or innocence of this President and we can’t even bring ourselves to have witnesses of evidence,” Bennet said. “Even when there are literally witnesses with direct knowledge of what the President did practically banging on the doors of this Senate saying let me testify.”

“We’re too lazy for that,” he added. “We’re too broken for that.”

Today, the Senate is scheduled to vote at 4 p.m. ET, bringing the impeachment trial of President Trump to a close.

Here’s what we know:

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, called out Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for how he ran the Senate impeachment trial.

Brown pointed out that before the trial started McConnell “admitted out loud” that he was coordinating with the White House.

He said McConnell “rushed this trial through” and “twisted arms” to make sure Republicans voted with him to block witnesses. Brown said Americans “see through it” and know that this trial was a “sham.”

Sen. Doug Jones, a vulnerable Democrat in 2020, said he will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment.

“I will vote to convict the President on both articles of impeachment,” he said.

Jones said that the President’s actions “were more than simply inappropriate — they were an abuse of power.” 

He added: “The evidence clearly proves that the President used the weight of his office and the weight of the United States government to seek to coerce a foreign government to interfere in our election for his personal political benefit.”

“I cannot and will not shrink from my duty to defend the Constitution and to do impartial justice,” Jones said.

“There will be so many who will simply look at what I’m doing today and say it is a profile in courage,” Jones said on the Senate floor today. “It is not. It is simply a matter of right and wrong. Where doing right is not a courageous act — it is simply following your oath.”

Jones also said he’s very concerned about the precedent this impeachment trial will set, adding that the Senate does not “have to go forward with witnesses or review documents even when those witnesses have firsthand information”

But Jones also said he struggled with the House’s strategy and wishes they had done more to get the witnesses and documents they wanted.

What especially stood out to Jones was the President’s statement about article two.

“The President’s statement that under the Constitution, we have Article II and I can do anything I want,” Jones said. “That seems to capture this President’s belief about the presidency. That he has unbridled power, unchecked by Congress or the judiciary or anyone else. That view, dangerous as it is, explains the President’s actions toward Ukraine and Congress.”

Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, said the Senate failed to give a fair trial in the impeachment of President Trump, and is concerned over the narrative the President might create that he has been exonerated.

“The point is that the House of Representatives has sole power on impeachment,” said Cardin on CNN today. “The Senate needs to try those articles of impeachment. The Senate failed here by giving a fair trial. How can you discover the truth if you can’t hear from witnesses under cross examination under oath?”

Cardin used Trump’s language after special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as the precedent for how he believes the President will act after today’s expected acquittal.

“Over and over again, the President has repeated his conduct. So yes, we are concerned that with an acquittal this afternoon, that the President will say he’s been exonerated and he’ll continue to do what he did before, even though there are so many senators, including Republican senators, who said what he did was wrong,” Cardin said, adding, “The President will say it was right because that’s the way he talks and he’ll continue that behavior. 

Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, said she will be voting to convict “this lawless president.”

Harris called the Senate trial an unfortunate example of “how our system of justice has worked, or more accurately, failed to work.”

She called the trial an “injustice” but she urged Americans to continue to work “to wrestle power away from the people at the very top” and “never give up on the meaning of true justice.”

Harris said Trump “will want us not to care” and to “think he’s all powerful.”

She continued: “We’re not going to give him what he wants.”

Sen. Rob Portman, who will vote to acquit President Trump, is one of the few Republicans to criticize the President’s conduct.

Asked today why he’s confident Trump won’t ask another foreign power to probe a political rival, here’s how Portman responded:

“I think the message has been delivered. Again if you listen to not what I’ve said but what so many others have said on our side of the aisle … I think it’s clear where that line is. None of us want to see interference in our election. … I think the message has been delivered.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, said “there was no need” to call more witnesses and subpoena documents at the Senate impeachment trial.

“There was no need for more evidence to prove something that I believe had already been proven and did not meet the Constitution’s high bar for an impeachable offense,” he said.

Alexander said the House proved their case that President Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter and withheld the military aid to “pressure” them to announce the investigations.

He said that the Constitution does not give the Senate the right to convict and remove a president from office “simply for actions that are inappropriate.”

Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, announced today that he will vote to convict President Trump on both articles of impeachment.

“I have reluctantly concluded that the evidence is sufficient to convict the President for both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,” he said in a statement.

Jones went on to say that he was “deeply troubled by the partisan nature of these proceedings from start to finish.”

“Very early on I implored my colleagues in both houses of Congress to stay out of their partisan corners. Many did, but so many did not,” he said. “The country deserves better. We must find a way to rise above the things that divide us and find the common good.”

National security adviser Robert O’Brien said he is “looking forward” to President Trump’s expected acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial later today.

He went on to say that the investigation has been “a terrible pall that was cast over the United States.”

“I think it will be a bipartisan acquittal today,” O’Brien said at an event with ambassadors from around the world in Washington today.

He added: “The good news is the President has thick skin and he’s a tough guy.”

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters today that the impeachment vote will be “exoneration” for President Trump.

On whether Trump will speak after the vote, Conway said, “I’m sure you’ll hear from the President. Maybe online, maybe a statement, maybe he’ll come to the camera.”

She also suggested that some “Democrats” will vote to acquit, but wouldn’t say who.

“I won’t say but I am glad they feel that they can break ranks,” Conway said.

House impeachment manager Adam Schiff wouldn’t say what he would make of a bipartisan Senate vote to acquit the President.

“I’m just going to wait and see what the senators decide,” he told CNN after this morning’s Democratic caucus meeting.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a House impeachment manager, declined to comment on the possibility of a bipartisan acquittal vote in the Senate this afternoon.

“House managers have proven our case against President Trump with clear and convicting evidence,” Jeffries said at a news conference this morning. “It’s time for the Senate to do their job… We’ll see what happens on the Senate floor this afternoon.”

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said House Democrats will “likely” subpoena President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton and continue with more investigations after today’s historic impeachment vote.

“I think it’s likely yes,” he told CNN of issuing a Bolton subpoena.

Asked what they will look at, Nadler said, “We are talking about everything,” referring to continuing all the probes that have been launched since last year.

Asked if he’s concerned about the political blowback, here’s how Nadler responded:

“First of all I think when you have a lawless president, you have to bring that to the fore and you have to spotlight that. You have to protect the constitution, whatever the political consequences. Second of all, no, as more and more lawlessness comes out, I presume the public will understand that.”

More on Bolton: He is writing a book about his time in the White House and told the US Senate he would be willing to testify in Trump’s impeachment trial if asked. A majority of senators in the Republican-controlled body voted against hearing any new testimony.

Watch here:

Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, said he is “confident in saying that President Trump should be acquitted and not removed from office.”

Speaking from the Senate floor today, he called the impeachment “politically motivated” and said it sets a “dangerous precedent” for the future. Cornyn went on to say that impeachment “cannot become the Hail Mary pass of a party.”

Cornyn said he will not vote to convict the President later today. He said he hopes that Democrats will “accept the results” of today’s vote and not as some have suggested “open a second impeachment inquiry.”

Asked today how he’ll vote in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, responded “4 o’clock” three times on his way into a committee hearing.

He went on to say that it’s a very serious decision. Manchin said he’s not talking to fellow moderate Democrats and instead is coming to his own conclusion.

Manchin is one of the senators being eyed to cross party lines. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah is the only Republican vote that’s still in question, while Democratic Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona also haven’t said how they are voting.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, said that President Trump ran a “corrupt conspiracy” and an “assault on the Constitution” that was “far worse than Watergate.”

“Watergate was about a break-in to spy on the Democratic National Committee,” Merkley said. “Bad, yes, wrong, definitely. But Watergate didn’t involve soliciting foreign interference to destroy the integrity of an election.”

He continued: “Watergate did not involve an across the board blockade of access by congress witnesses and documents.”

Merkley said that if the senators thought Nixon should be removed from office “you have no choice” other than to vote to remove Trump from office.

“But he will not be removed,” Merkley said.

He said the Senate failed to conduct a full and fair trial.

The Senate floor just opened up.

Senators will get the chance today to speak for up to 10 minutes. Later, they’ll hold the final vote in the impeachment trial.

While senators take the floor to explain how they reached their decision to vote in the impeachment trial, House manager Zoe Lofgren expressed dissatisfaction with their decision to talk rather than listen.

“Honestly, it’s disappointing they found time for each one of them to give a speech but not time to listen to a relevant witness which would have taken far less time,” said Lofgren in an interview on CNN’s New Day.

She also showed disappointment with senators who justified their vote to acquit by claiming President Trump has learned from his mistake.

“If we say this behavior can go on, unsanctioned, then it does change the nature of the three branches of government, the power that the presidency has as compared to the legislative branch. And that’s not necessarily good news for the future of the country,” Lofgren said.

Since closing arguments ended on Monday, a steady stream of senators have gone to the Senate floor to explain their votes. The fence-sitting senators are expected to do the same today.

Two key GOP senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins — announced yesterday that they plan to vote to acquit President Trump on the articles.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said Trump “will be acquitted” when the Senate votes.

Who to watch: While the outcome of the final vote isn’t in doubt, there are still some senators being eyed to cross party lines. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah is the only Republican vote that’s still in question, while Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona also haven’t said how they are voting.

The Senate is expected to hold the final vote today in the impeachment trial of President Trump.

The Senate will vote at 4 p.m. ET on the verdict for two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

The outcome is a forgone conclusion: Senate Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the chamber, and so far no Republicans have said they will vote to remove the President from office. A two-thirds majority is required for conviction.

Still, the acquittal vote will mark the end of historic and whirlwind four-month impeachment proceedings that began in September with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the inquiry into the President amid allegations he had withheld US security aid while pressuring Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The House made Trump the third President to be impeached in December by passing the two articles of impeachment without Republican votes.

The final Senate vote on the impeachment verdict comes after a bitter fight over the trial, which began two weeks ago. Senate Democrats and the House impeachment managers pushed for the Senate to hear from witnesses in the trial, including former national security adviser John Bolton, whose draft book manuscript alleged that the President had told him he conditioned the US aid to Ukraine on investigations into Democrats.

But Senate Republicans rejected the need for witnesses, defeating a motion to call witnesses 49-51.