WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2020) The US Senate has blocked Democrats' attempts to subpoena Department of Defense documents during the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump.
The Senate voted 53-47 on Tuesday afternoon to block Schumer's effort to add the amendment to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's resolution that sets the rules for the Trump impeachment trial.
Later on Tuesday evening, the Senate voted 53-47 to reject a second Schumer amendment seeking to subpoena the State Department for certain documents and records related to the Trump-Ukraine case.
The Senate also rejected on Tuesday evening another Schumer amendment seeking to subpoena the Office of Management and Budget for documents related to the Trump-Ukraine case.
After the four Democratic amendments were rejected, Schumer offered an amendment for a subpoena of acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
"I just demanded a vote on calling as a witness Mick Mulvaney, President Trump's Acting White House Chief of Staff. Will Senate Republicans vote with us for a fair trial? Or will they keep enabling a cover-up like they've done all day by voting against our requests for documents?" Schumer wrote on Twitter late on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, Schumer's fourth amendment, to subpoena Mulvaney, was blocked by the Senate, which voted 53-47 to reject it. The New York Times said that Mulvaney could be summoned later.
Later in the evening, Schumer's fifth amendment, which would allow senators to subpoena Pentagon documents relating to the charges against the president, was voted down, once again along party lines. Senators voted 53-47 to reject the amendment.
After losing the fifth vote of the evening, Schumer immediately introduced another amendment, this time seeking to issue subpoenas against two White House aides: Michael Duffey and Robert Blair.
The Trump defense plans to argue that the House of Representatives impeachment charges - obstruction of Congress and abuse of office - are invalid because the US president broke no laws.
If McConnell's resolution is adopted later on Tuesday evening, then both sides will have 24 hours to present their arguments over the period of three days. The Senate would also decide later in the trial whether to allow subpoenas for certain documents and witnesses related to the case.
