Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a campaign event, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Grimes, Iowa. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Ted Cruz has become a pretty big podcast star lately. He’s been doing episodes covering the impeachment saga and the show has risen to the top spot in the country, even above the perennially high ranked Joe Rogan Experience.

One of the latest matters discussed by Cruz was exactly why the Democrats failed at garnering more witnesses during the Senate portion of the impeachment trial. Even as closing arguments are going on today, the outcome of the trial was essentially decided late last week due to a 51-49 vote against subpoenaing John Bolton and others. That came in the wake of several “bombshell” leaked descriptions of supposed passages in Bolton’s new book (see Another ‘Bombshell’ Involving Trump and John Bolton Dropped Last Night, Here Are the Details).

For a day or so, it looked like momentum had swung in favor of the Democrat gambit, but then something changed. Cruz manages to pinpoint the one person responsible: Elizabeth Warren.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren helped cement President Trump’s likely impeachment acquittal with one of the questions she posed during trial, according to Sen. Ted Cruz. Ms. Warren’s question during Thursday’s session sought to impugn the credibility of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. by saying his credibility was on the line in the impeachment trial. Mr. Cruz, Texas Republican, said the question seemed desired to boost Ms. Warren’s struggling presidential campaign, but its immediate effect was to irk key GOP senators who realized Democrat’s‘ strategy to prolong the trial was centered on trying to drag the chief justice ever deeper into the action. “Elizabeth Warren helped defeat the impeachment of the president of the United States,” Mr. Cruz said late Friday on a new episode of his podcast “The Verdict.” “That stunt helped deliver the votes of Lisa and Lamar.”

Here’s video of exactly what Cruz is talking about.

WOW. Chief Justice John Roberts just had to read aloud Sen. Elizabeth Warren's question…about whether he loses credibility for presiding over a trial without witnesses or evidence. https://t.co/vG08pjmhZH pic.twitter.com/G79ZdRljZj — Heather Monahan (@HeatherMonahan_) January 30, 2020

I think Cruz nails it here.

Contrary to the caricature often painted of Senators like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, I do not think they revel in being rebels. I think John McCain did and I think Mitt Romney does, but I don’t believe that’s the motivation of every GOP swing vote in the Senate. I think the former two genuinely, whether you agree with them or not, struggle with some of these more partisan questions and their natural instinct is to play it safe.

That would typically mean supporting the calling of John Bolton, but Murkowski seemingly changed her mind on the last day. What happened? Elizabeth Warren delivered her a gift-wrapped reason to go ahead and shut this sham impeachment down. It became clear from the partisan theatrics that the Democrats were simply trying to make political hay. To most of us, that’s been obvious for a while, but Murkowski wanted the cover and she received it.

Had Warren just kept her mouth shut and not tried to save here imploding presidential campaign, perhaps Democrats would have squeezed out a 50-50 tie and forced a huge decision by Chief Justice Roberts. Instead, Murkowski pretty obviously decided she wasn’t going to let that happen. So while an acquittal was always going to be the result, Democrats can thank Warren for blowing up any chance of turning the tables in the eleventh hour.

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