GOP blocks witnesses in Senate impeachment trial, as final vote could drag to next week

Republicans in the Senate secured enough votes Friday evening to reject Democratic efforts to extend the Trump impeachment trial and call new witnesses, as the final vote on whether or not to remove President Trump from office seems likely to drag into next week.

After hours of debate during the day, the Senate voted 51 to 49 to block a Democratic motion to call new witnesses. The vote came after vehement demands from Democrats to call former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about the Trump-Ukraine saga.