The End of What, Exactly?
The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump drew its last breath of suspense just after 1 p.m. today.
That’s when Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, and the Democrats’ sole remaining hope for subpoenaing witnesses or documents, announced her unwillingness to do so in a withering attack on the integrity of the institution that her party leads.
“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout,” Murkowski said in a written statement, “I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that, as an institution, the Congress has failed.”
Had Murkowski supported subpoenaing witnesses, the vote on the matter would have been a 50–50 tie, and under Senate rules would have failed. But Democrats had held out hope that Chief
