Senate Scuttles Plan to Call Witnesses on Bombshell Trump Call, Deal Reached to Read Statement Into Record

The Senate has agreed to a deal avoiding witnesses at former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

The proceedings appeared destined for a swift conclusion early Saturday afternoon until House Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) announced that he was seeking testimony from a witness — Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) — to discuss her secondhand account of a phone call between Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after the attack on the Capitol began. Trump’s defense team responded by threatening to call a large number of witnesses including Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

After a period of limbo on the Senate floor, a recess was called as the two sides hammered out a deal. Rep. Buetler’s testimony was read into the record, with the former president’s counsel stipulating that the statement as read would accurately resemble Herrera Beutler’s testimony.

(h/t Mediaite)