How some moderate senators will vote on impeachment

WASHINGTON — House Democrats’ attempt to convict President Donald Trump of two articles of impeachment appears to be headed to a certain defeat by the Senate Wednesday, as the handful of moderate senators began declaring how they’ll vote.

Since the end of the impeachment trial’s closing arguments, two of the most watched Republican moderates went to the Senate floor and said they would support the acquittal of Trump when the Senate meets Wednesday at 4 p.m. for its final votes.

And one of the most scrutinized moderate Democrats spoke and left everyone still guessing.

Here are highlights of their Senate floor speeches.

Sen. Susan Collins – No

Two decades ago, Collins (R-Maine) voted against convicting President Bill Clinton, despite disapproving of his actions. This time she'll do the same. “It was wrong for President Trump to mention former Vice President [Joe] Biden on that phone call, and it was wrong for him to ask a foreign country to investigate a political rival,” Collins said. But she said she’ll vote to acquit Trump. “I do not believe that the House has met its burden of showing that the president’s conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of immediate removal from office.” Collins said. And she said the House substituted “speed over finality” when it decided not to go to court to force witnesses to appear. She concluded: “This decision is not about whether you like or dislike this president, or agree with or oppose his policies, or approve or disapprove of his conduct … Rather it is about whether the charges meet the very high standards of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski - No

Murkowski (R-Alaska) has shown an independent streak, most notably by voting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. On Monday, she scolded the House, Senate and president for their failures, and said she would support a censure of Trump. “The House failed in its responsibilities. The Senate should be ashamed by the rank partisanship that has been on display here,” she said. “The President's behavior was shameful and wrong. His personal interests do not take precedence over those of this great nation … Degrading the office by actions or even name-calling weakens it for future presidents, and it weakens our country.” Murkowski concluded: “The response to the president's behavior is not to disenfranchise nearly 63 million Americans and remove him from the ballot. The House could have pursued censure and not immediately jumped to the remedy of last resort. I cannot vote to convict.”

Sen. Joe Manchin — Won't Say

Manchin (D-West Virginia) has logged some tough votes, including a yes for Kavanaugh. On the case of Trump, Manchin preferred censure over impeachment. “Voting whether or not to remove a sitting President is no easy decision,” he said Monday. After hearing the arguments from both sides, Manchin said, “The July 25th call was far from perfect … It was simply wrong.” And Manchin said, “The most troubling thing to me is that the president can do no wrong … that if it’s good for the reelection of the president then it’s good for our country. That is simply preposterous.” But he also fretted that it’s the first partisan impeachment. “Removing this President, at this time, would not only further divide our deeply divided nation, but also further poison our already toxic political atmosphere,” he said. “I am truly struggling with this decision and will come to a conclusion reluctantly.”