WASHINGTON (WTHR) – Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) said Monday he will cast an acquittal vote in impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
“As a United States Senator, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve as an impartial juror," Young said in a statement Monday. "After hearing all counsel arguments and reviewing all evidence in the record, including 17 witnesses, 192 witness video clips, and 28,578 pages of evidence, procedural rules, and Constitutional concerns, I will vote to acquit the President."
Closing arguments Monday in the impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate.
Prosecutors relied on a 28,000-page report compiled over three months of proceedings in the Democratic-controlled House, including public and private testimony from 17 witnesses, among them current and former ambassadors and national security officials with close proximity to the Ukraine dealings.
The case stems from Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine that he maintains was “perfect.” A government whistleblower alarmed by the call filed a complaint that sparked the inquiry.
“I have worked to remain impartial and open-minded throughout this trial, but it must be acknowledged that a political fever permeated this process from the beginning – dating back not just to the start of the House of Representatives’ impeachment efforts, but all the way back to November 2016. The House’s rushed impeachment process denied the President due process, and House Managers failed to meet their heavy burden of proof to remove a president from office and from future ballots," Young said.
(WTHR staff and the Associated Press contributed to this story.)
