After voting with Mitch McConnell 10 times to block subpoenas for witnesses and evidence in the impeachment trial, Senator Collins “still won’t definitively commit” to demanding witnesses and has repeatedly failed to meet the standard she set in 1999 of requiring witnesses and evidence to “get to the truth.”
Senator Collins on January 27, 1999: “I need witnesses”
Senator Collins on January 27, 2020: “[I’m] *likely* to vote to call witnesses”
...but “still won’t definitively commit”
While Senator Collins has claimed that she’s been supportive of calling witnesses throughout this process, the reality is that she’s pushed for a process that advances her party’s ultimate political goal of acquittal, rather than getting to the truth. After voting to block subpoenas for witnesses and evidence, Collins still won’t demand to hear from specific witnesses -- as she did in 1998 -- and is now trying to limit the amount of witnesses to one or two instead of demanding to hear from all relevant first-hand witnesses.
“We need to hear from all relevant witnesses to get to the truth in this case,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “If Senator Collins were truly committed to a fair trial, she would be fighting for testimony from every first-hand witness and to see all pertinent evidence. Anything less would make it clear that Senator Collins’ goal is the same as Mitch McConnell’s -- to acquit the president as quickly as possible -- at the expense of pursuing the truth.”
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