Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell BrownBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Emboldened Democrats haggle over 2021 agenda Hillicon Valley: Russia 'amplifying' concerns around mail-in voting to undermine election | Facebook and Twitter take steps to limit Trump remarks on voting | Facebook to block political ads ahead of election MORE (D-Ohio) said Sunday it would be "fine" to hear from Hunter Biden as part of the Senate impeachment trial, but added that he's not sure what information the former vice president's son can give related to the actions central to the allegations against President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE.

Brown stressed the importance of having witnesses as part of the trial in the upper chamber and acknowledged that Republicans would also call witnesses on their side.

"They can easily call Hunter Biden. Are you prepared for that?" CNN's Brianna Keilar asked Brown on "State of the Union."

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"We take the position that we want to hear from witnesses. I don't know what Hunter Biden has to do with the phone call that was made," Brown said.

"But you're fine hearing from him?" Keilar asked.

"I'm fine with hearing -- I mean, I understand I -- I'm not a lawyer. I understand both sides get to call witnesses," Brown said.

He added, however, that Republican senators tell him "quietly" that doing so would be a "distraction."

"Republican senators also quietly tell me this president is a bigot and tell me this president lies a lot. They don't say that publicly. But I guess that's beside the point for this trial," he added.

"The point is, we need witnesses. We need to know who they are, and with the right to call witnesses, additional witnesses, later. But I don't understand how you can, to the American public, make the case that this is a real trial if there are no witnesses and there is no new evidence," Brown said.

The Senate will vote this week on whether or not to allow witnesses or delay a decision until later in the process.