Playbook: “A lot, actually. They could shed light on what Trump knew during the January 6 riot and how he acted — details the Trump team, notably, refused to give, despite questions from multiple Republican senators on Friday. Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows has been saying on TV that Trump tried to stop the violence, which is refuted by prosecutors as well as news reports.”

“The Trump team also, oddly enough, accused Sen. Tommy Tuberville of ‘hearsay’ when the Alabama Republican said he told Trump that Pence was in danger around the time he attacked the VP on Twitter that afternoon. Trump people deny this is true. Do senators want to get to the bottom of this?”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) picked a fight with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) on the Senate floor just now after the vote to call witnesses in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, Politico reports.

Johnson turned to Romney and was visibly upset with him, even pointing at him once and saying, “I blame you.”

Sources close to former President Donald Trump are “floored” by what just happened in the impeachment trial, ABC News reports.

The words being used: “Stunned,” “Stupefied” and “Digesting this.”

Another report says there is “complete panic” on the Trump team.

The Senate voted 55 to 45 to allow the House impeachment managers to subpoena witnesses.

The Republican senators who joined Democrats in approving witnesses: Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse and Mitt Romney.

Graham originally voted “no” but changed his vote to “yes” after the roll call.

The House managers will ask the Senate to subpoena witnesses for former president Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

Specifically, they want to depose Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) who confirmed on Friday night that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told her that Trump had sided with the mob during the riot.

They would need 51 votes to subpoena witnesses.

“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has told GOP colleagues in a letter that he will vote to acquit Donald Trump in the former president’s impeachment trial,” Politico reports.

“McConnell’s announcement ends a long period of silence over whether he would consider convicting Trump for incitement of insurrection and could pave the way for many other Republicans to follow in acquittal.”

Trump impeachment lawyer David Schoen briefly told the rest of the former president’s legal team he was quitting last night, the New York Times reports.

Donald Trump had to call Schoen to get him to rejoin the team.

Rep. Jaime Herrera (R-WA) confirmed on Friday night that the top House Republican, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), told her that former president Donald Trump had sided with the mob during a phone call as the Jan. 6 Capitol attack unfolded, the New York Times reports.

She pleaded with witnesses to step forward and share what they knew about Trump’s actions: “To the patriots who were standing next to the former president as these conversations were happening, or even to the former vice president: if you have something to add here, now would be the time.”

“Senate Democrats may be opening up to the idea of extending former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial and calling witnesses as new details emerge of events surrounding the siege of Congress,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“A report from CNN published Friday evening, offering fresh details about a contentious call between Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on the day of the riot, led at least one Senate Democrat to say he and his colleagues would support extending the proceedings if House impeachment managers indicated a desire for it.”

Said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): “If they make a decision to call witnesses, obviously, we would welcome that.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who expressed doubts about former president Donald Trump’s impeachment defense team and suggested he might ultimately vote to convict him, was seen in the Capitol on Friday holding the draft of a statement indicating he planned to acquit Trump, the Washington Post reports.

“Six GOP senators voted this week to move forward with President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. But Republicans believe several more of them may be considering conviction,” Politico reports.

“As the Trump defense made its argument on Friday, Republicans privately estimated between 5 and 10 of their senators are seriously weighing conviction. There’s no official whip count, and the matter is not being discussed at party meetings, leaving many in the 50-member conference to only guess at their colleague’s inclinations.”

“David Schoen, one of former Trump’s defense attorneys, on Friday accused House impeachment managers of having manipulated evidence in their presentation by selectively editing video footage and altering tweets,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Schoen: “We have reason to believe the House managers manipulated evidence and selectively edited footage. If they did and this were a court of law, they would face sanctions from the judge.”

He added: “We have reason to believe that the House managers created false representations of tweets, and the lack of due process means there was no opportunity to review or verify the accuracy.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Twitter: “I remember the moment I saw Trump’s tweet attacking Pence. We were in the chamber as aides were scrambling to bar the doors. Some were sobbing in fear. The mob was outside. Someone yelled out shots had been fired.”

“I turned to Tim Kaine and said, ‘Oh my god, he’s egging them on.'”

Jonathan Bernstein: “I thought the House managers and the Senate Democratic majority were making a big mistake by failing to take the time to gather testimony from witnesses before the trial — either in a special committee, or just by taking videotaped depositions as was done during Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.”

“As it turned out, for the most part the evidence the managers presented was vivid and persuasive in most places. But there was one big exception: Trump’s actions during the insurrection. For that, the managers had to rely on news sources that were neither convincing nor comprehensive. Did Trump really revel in the riot? To what extent was he involved in efforts to secure the Capitol? Did people have to work around him? I don’t know if definitive answers to those questions would change anything, but in my view we don’t have full answers to any of them. It’s a real failure of what was otherwise a very good job by the House managers.”

“That said: No senator has voted yet. Witnesses could still come forward on their own and provide news interviews, or even just on-the-record statements, of what they know. It sure seems to me that anyone with direct evidence, whether it helps or harms Trump, should spill the beans now.”

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial blasted Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) over their handling of former President Trump’s impeachment trial, calling it an “embarrassment to the state.”

Donald Trump’s legal defense will focus entirely on process, Axios reports.

“The attorneys representing the former president know it’s fruitless to continue defending his actions preceding the Capitol attack. Instead, they’ll say none of that matters because the trial itself is unconstitutional — an argument many Republican senators are ready to embrace.”

NBC News: Trump’s defense to present case in Senate impeachment trial.

Playbook: “McConnell regards himself as a proud institutionalist. It’s hard to tell what that means for McConnell in this moment. Does he see conviction as a worthy punishment for a president who inspired an attack on a co-equal branch of government? If so, maybe it’s not such a long shot. Or does ‘protecting the institution’ mean acquitting Trump, because a post-presidential impeachment is unconstitutional in McConnell’s view?”

“There are complicating factors McConnell is surely taking into account as he makes his decision: A vote to convict could make winning back the Senate in 2022 more difficult. It might also trigger calls from the GOP base for McConnell to step aside as leader, forcing his own members to choose between him and their voters.”

“Still, even McConnell’s closest advisers admit they have no idea what he’ll do. Senate Republicans close with him say they’re genuinely in the dark — though they predict he will acquit. McConnell has said little, maintaining his poker face throughout the impeachment managers’ presentations, just as he did during the last impeachment. One reporter said he’s looked like a statue throughout the trial, hands folded in his lap and listening intently.”

“A trio of Republican senators allied with former President Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again,” CNN reports.

“Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump’s lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments.”