Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that she believes Democrats showed that President Trump’s actions on Ukraine were “shameful and wrong” but said she could not vote to convict him.
"I cannot vote to convict. The Constitution provides for impeachment but does not demand it in all instances," Murkowski said on the Senate floor Tuesday. "The voters will pronounce a verdict in nine months, and we must trust their judgement.”
"The president's behavior was shameful and wrong. His personal interests do not take precedence over those of this great nation," she said.
Murkowski said that she believed the Democrats proved their case.
"It is very clear he said the things that he said. That to me is apparent. But I do believe that you also have the recognition that the president was concerned about issues of burden sharing," she told reporters after her speech. "I believe that aid was withheld, and I think that based on what we heard clearly a factor in that was the president was looking for a certain action from President Zelensky as it related to the Bidens. Yes, I believe that.”
Other Republicans agree:
Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander agreed that the Democrats proved their case but said he would vote to acquit the president.
"I think he shouldn't have done it. I think it was wrong. Inappropriate was the way I'd say — improper, crossing the line," Alexander told MSNBC. "And then the only question left is who decides what to do about that."
"What the president should have done was, if he was upset about Joe Biden and his son and what they were doing in Ukraine,” he added, “he should have called the attorney general and told him that and let the attorney general handle it the way they always handle cases that involve public figures.”
"Why do you think he didn't do that?" asked host Chuck Todd.
"Maybe he didn't know to do it," Alexander responded.
Rubio says Trump actions impeachable but not removable:
“For me, the question would not just be whether the President’s actions were wrong, but ultimately whether what he did was removable,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said in a statement. “The two are not the same. Just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office.”
"I disagree with the House Managers’ argument that, if we find the allegations they have made are true, failing to remove the President leaves us with no remedy to constrain this or future Presidents," he added. "Congress and the courts have multiple ways by which to constrain the power of the executive. And ultimately, voters themselves can hold the President accountable in an election, including the one just nine months from now."
