Washington (CNN) Sen. Susan Collins of Maine on Thursday night became the first Republican senator to break rank and announce support for witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. "I worked with colleagues to ensure the schedule for the trial included a guaranteed up-or-down vote on whether or not to call witnesses. "Therefore, I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed." Collins' announcement, however, was quickly overshadowed minutes later by news that Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee would oppose calling witnesses, a decision that all but ensures the trial will come to a swift end without hearing from witnesses or subpoenaing documents. Ahead of Friday's crucial witness vote , Democrats had hoped four Republican would break ranks to give them the 51 votes needed to move ahead with further votes to determine who to subpoena.

Source: CNN January 31, 2020 04:41 UTC