Washington — House Democrats made a last-ditch effort to urge the Senate to convict President Trump in his impeachment trial, delivering closing arguments two days before a vote that appears to be a foregone conclusion.
The House impeachment managers and the president's legal team were both given two hours to deliver closing remarks on Monday.
Adam Schiff, the lead House manager, made an impassioned plea to close the proceedings, saying that "every single vote — even a single vote, by a single member — can change the course of history."
"It is said that a single man or woman of courage makes a majority," Schiff continued. "Is there one among you, who will say 'enough'?"
Each senator now gets 10 minutes to speak and explain his or her decision on whether to convict, a vote that's slated for Wednesday afternoon.
Sixty-seven senators would be needed to convict Mr. Trump on the two impeachment articles and remove him from office. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate, and just two sided with Democrats on Friday in a failed effort to allow new witnesses and documents in the trial, a vote that served as a death knell for Democrats' case.
The formal trial proceedings wrapped up Monday afternoon and the Senate returned to a regular legislative session for senators' remarks. Three Democratic senators who are running for president quickly left Washington for Iowa, where the first contest in the presidential nominating process gets underway Monday night.
Senators' speeches will continue on Tuesday, ahead of Mr. Trump's State of the Union address in the chamber of the House that impeached him less than two months ago.
