WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the following statement after the Senate voted not to proceed to the consideration of witnesses in the impeachment of President Donald Trump:

“I took an oath to do impartial justice at the outset of this trial, and from where I sit, part of that responsibility is an exhaustive search for all the relevant witnesses and documents. It seems obvious to me that we should have voted 100-0 to get the information we need to do this right, so the fact that 51 of my colleagues refused to gather that necessary evidence (for the second time in two weeks) is truly puzzling to me. How can you go home to your constituents and explain why you chose to ignore the facts?

“A trial without witnesses isn’t really a trial – and doesn’t strike me as a demonstration of impartial justice. To ignore witnesses like John Bolton, who has indicated both his possession of relevant information and his willingness to testify before our body, is nothing less than an abdication of our responsibilities, an asterisk on these proceedings, and a stain on our institution. This was a newly available witness, who refused to testify during the House process and has since made himself available to the Senate – we should have heard him out. The truth will come out in the weeks or months ahead, and when the full scope of these events is uncovered, each of my colleagues who chose to ignore additional evidence will have to live with their vote.”