Retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced on Thursday night that he will vote against allowing additional witnesses and documents in President Trump's impeachment trial.

In a statement, Alexander acknowledged that it was "inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate."

Alexander declared that there is "no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a 'mountain of overwhelming evidence.'" He concluded that there is "no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense."

Alexander got in a few swipes at Democrats, calling the second article of impeachment "frivolous" and the entire process "shallow, hurried, and wholly partisan." If Trump is convicted, he said, it would "rip the country apart, pouring gasoline on the fire of cultural divisions that already exist. It would create the weapon of perpetual impeachment to be used against future presidents whenever the House of Representatives is of a different political party." Catherine Garcia