U.S. Sen. John Boozman: Odds fair witnesses will testify

He sees trial going for several weeks

U.S. Sen. John Boozman is shown in this file photo.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman is shown in this file photo.

WASHINGTON -- The White House is predicting a speedy impeachment trial for President Donald Trump -- two weeks or less.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman expects it will go on a good while longer.

"I think you're talking about several weeks," he said Thursday.

"Both sides will present their cases. The senators will be allowed to ask questions," the Republican from Rogers said. "I predict there'll be at least 100 questions from senators, so there's going to be a lot of information presented."

Then there will be a debate about whether to allow additional evidence, he said.

"I think that there's a fair chance that we will actually call witnesses and get additional information," he said.

While Boozman has withheld judgment, there are senators "on both sides" who have expressed an interest in hearing from witnesses, he said.

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If the House managers summon witnesses, then the president should be afforded the same opportunity, Boozman said.

"I want the process to be fair, so if we decide to call witnesses, I think it's very important that both sides call the witnesses that they feel they need to make their case," he said.

Thursday's Government Accountability Office report, finding that the withholding of aid to Ukraine violated the Impoundment Control Act, doesn't alter things, Boozman said.

"Monies are withheld all the time for indefinite periods, and then Congress gets upset and says, 'why aren't you spending this money?'" Boozman said.

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This tug of war between presidents and Congress predates Trump, Boozman said. "If you removed a president for that, you'd have to remove all the modern-day presidents," he said.

Boozman made his comments Thursday shortly after hearing the articles of impeachment and taking the impeachment trial oath.

Raising his right hand, he swore that "in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, [he] will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws."

Later, he affirmed the promise, signing his name in the official oath book.

Asked what "impartial justice" entails, Boozman said: "I think, first of all, to make sure that the process is fair and to listen to the facts as presented and then make a judgment."

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It's the Senate's task, Boozman said, to act upon the evidence collected by the House.

"When you do the impeachment process, the House does the work. In other words, they do all the investigative stuff, they gather the evidence and bring it over and present it. It's not the job of the Senate. They're more of the juror. It's not their job to [collect] evidence."

Boozman was critical of how the Democratic-controlled House had handled Trump's impeachment.

"I think it was not a fair process," he said.

The two articles of impeachment that they approved allege conduct that -- if true -- "doesn't rise to the level of impeachment," he said.

"I just have the evidence that has been presented so far," he said.

If new evidence is uncovered, "we will take that into account," he added.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, did not respond to requests for an interview. But in an email appeal Wednesday for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he denounced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "partisan impeachment games" and asked supporters to make a donation to "help defend our GOP Senate Majority."

He also criticized Pelosi on Thursday morning during an appearance on Fox & Friends.

A Section on 01/17/2020

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