From NYT

An expected verdict in Donald J. Trump’s impeachment trial was thrown into doubt on Saturday after the Senate voted to allow witnesses to be called, a result of a surprise push by Democrats to summon a Republican congresswoman who has said she was told that the former president sided with the mob as rioters were attacking the Capitol.

The last-minute move to throw open the trial record came on a day when the Senate had been expected to hand Mr. Trump his second impeachment acquittal, on the charge of “incitement of insurrection,” for his alleged role in stoking the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 while Congress was meeting to formalize his election loss.

It threatened to prolong the trial for days or longer, even as the top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, privately told his colleagues he was ready to acquit Mr. Trump, confirming that an eventual conviction was exceedingly unlikely.

The vote came after Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead impeachment manager, said that Democrats wanted the chance to call Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, Republican of Washington, to testify. Ms. Herrera Beutler confirmed late Friday evening that Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, had told her that Mr. Trump said in a phone call during the rampage that the rioters were more upset about the election than Mr. McCarthy was.

Mr. Raskin said he wanted a short deposition held virtually with the congresswoman, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump, and a subpoena for her contemporaneous notes.

“We believe we’ve proven our case,” Mr. Raskin said moments after the Senate convened in the impeachment trial session on Saturday morning. But he said Ms. Herrera Beutler’s statement amounted to “an additional critical piece of corroborating evidence, further confirming the charges before you.”

expected verdict in Donald J. Trump’s impeachment trial was thrown into doubt on Saturday after the Senate voted to allow witnesses to be called, a result of a surprise push by Democrats to summon a Republican congresswoman who has said she was told that the former president sided with the mob as rioters were attacking the Capitol.

The last-minute move to throw open the trial record came on a day when the Senate had been expected to hand Mr. Trump his second impeachment acquittal, on the charge of “incitement of insurrection,” for his alleged role in stoking the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 while Congress was meeting to formalize his election loss.

It threatened to prolong the trial for days or longer, even as the top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, privately told his colleagues he was ready to acquit Mr. Trump, confirming that an eventual conviction was exceedingly unlikely.

The vote came after Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead impeachment manager, said that Democrats wanted the chance to call Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, Republican of Washington, to testify. Ms. Herrera Beutler confirmed late Friday evening that Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, had told her that Mr. Trump said in a phone call during the rampage that the rioters were more upset about the election than Mr. McCarthy was.

Mr. Raskin said he wanted a short deposition held virtually with the congresswoman, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump, and a subpoena for her contemporaneous notes.

“We believe we’ve proven our case,” Mr. Raskin said moments after the Senate convened in the impeachment trial session on Saturday morning. But he said Ms. Herrera Beutler’s statement amounted to “an additional critical piece of corroborating evidence, further confirming the charges before you.”