Protesters were heard chanting “shame” outside of the U.S. Capitol on Friday night after the Senate voted to block witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial and set up for a final vote on the articles of impeachment to take place next Wednesday.
Multiple videos showed protesters outside the Capitol chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!”
The protests come as Senate Republicans rejected a mid-trial effort to call witnesses and documents on Friday, paving the way for Trump’s acquittal on two articles of impeachment passed by the House.
“There is no need for the Senate to re-open the investigation which the House Democratic majority chose to conclude and which the managers themselves continue to describe as ‘overwhelming’ and ‘beyond any doubt,'” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
Democrats wanted to call four witnesses: former national security adviser John Bolton; acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney; Robert Blair, a Mulvaney adviser; and Michael Duffey, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) staffer.
A poll from earlier this week showed that 75 percent of Americans supported calling witnesses, saying they should be allowed to testify in the trial.
Trump faces two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — for his dealings with Ukraine.