Impeachment Winds Down With Whimper as Washington Moves On

WASHINGTON— Sen. Bernie Sanders speed-walked out of the Capitol and phoned into a campaign rally in Iowa, apologizing for not being there in person. Sen. Lindsey Graham headed home to South Carolina, where a pulled-pork platter awaited him. And President Trump jetted down to Florida.

The Senate impeachment trial has commanded 11 days of attention, cruising along to what should have been a final vote Saturday. Mr. Trump, the script held, would be acquitted by the Republican majority and the political order would resume its frenetic pace.

But Washington pressed pause.
“We all need a break,” said Mr. Graham, a Republican. “This is as close to purgatory as any of us want to get.”
By the time the final vote is held Wednesday afternoon, major events will have passed. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, the Iowa presidential contest on Monday, and Mr. Trump will deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“If you like drama, there’s something for you because the Iowa caucuses are so up in the air,” said Jessica Taylor, an editor at the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political-ratings group. “And if you like spoilers, it’s certain Trump will be acquitted.”

“The big question to me is the State of the Union,” Ms. Taylor added. “Bill Clinton also gave his annual address to Congress while his Senate trial was going on and didn’t mention it at all. That seems like a hard opportunity for Trump to resist and not to take a victory lap and jab Democrats.”

For now, Mr. Trump is relaxing and tweeting in Florida. “Getting a little exercise this morning!” he captioned a photo of himself golfing on Saturday. In another tweet, he boasted about poll numbers and the crowds at his campaign rallies, calling it “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

Do you expect any surprises when the impeachment vote is taken? Join the conversation below.
Saturday evening at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, Roseanne Barr was scheduled to headline a gathering of the Trumpettes, a fan club. On Sunday, the president is hosting a Super Bowl party. (He won’t pick between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. “Well, I love them both, let’s just say,” he told Fox News.)
“He’s in good spirits,” said Mr. Graham, who spoke with the president on Saturday morning. “Everybody would like to see it wrapped up but it’s just the way it is.”


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