Speaking on the Senate floor two days ahead of the expected vote on whether to impeach President Donald Trump, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Monday said she “cannot vote to convict” the president.
Her announcement comes on the heels of Murkowski’s statement on Friday that she would not support calling new witnesses in the Senate, as Democrats seeking a conviction had sought.
Murkowski, a moderate Republican, sharply criticized the president in her speech, calling his behavior “shameful and wrong.”
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“His personal interests do not take precedence over those of this great nation,” she said.
But she repeated her assertion that the House had brought the Senate charges against the president that were based on a rushed and flawed investigation.
She said the U.S. Constitution provides for impeachment, but does not demand it in all instances.
“The voters will pronounce a verdict in nine months, and we must trust their judgment,” she said.