Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he wil…

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamDemocrats hammer abuse of power charge, allege Trump put self over country Video becomes vital part of Democrats’ case against TrumpNadler plays 1999 clip of Graham defining high crimes: ‘It doesn’t even have to be a crime’MORE (R-S.C.) says he will vote against a motion to subpoena Hunter Biden if a majority of colleagues agree next week that additional witnesses and documents need to be summoned for President TrumpDonald John TrumpSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: ‘Right matters. And the truth matters.’Anita Hill to Iowa crowd: ‘Statute of limitations’ for Biden apology is ‘up’ Sen. Van Hollen releases documents from GAO investigationMOREs impeachment trial.
If Republican colleagues introduce a motion to subpoena former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: ‘Right matters. And the truth matters.’Anita Hill to Iowa crowd: ‘Statute of limitations’ for Biden apology is ‘up’ Sen. Van Hollen releases documents from GAO investigationMOREs son, Graham said I vote against it.
Grahams opposition essentially kills the threat that Republicans have wielded in recent weeks that if Democrats win a motion to hear from additional witnesses such as former national security adviser John BoltonJohn BoltonSenate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesHakeem Jeffries tells Senate in impeachment proceedings they should subpoena Baseball Hall of Fame after Jeter voteSusan Collins asked Justice Roberts to intervene after Nadler late-night ‘cover-up’ accusationMORE and acting White House chief of staff Mick MulvaneyJohn (Mick) Michael MulvaneySenate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesHakeem Jeffries tells Senate in impeachment proceedings they should subpoena Baseball Hall of Fame after Jeter voteVideo becomes vital part of Democrats’ case against TrumpMORE, they will retaliate by subpoenaing the Bidens.
Republican lawmakers such as Sens. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulMarsha Blackburn shares what book she’s reading during Trump Senate trialSekulow indicates Trump should not attend impeachment trialTrump sets record for tweets as president on day House makes impeachment case MORE (R-Ky.) and John KennedyJohn Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.) have threatened to weaponize the debate over witnesses by forcing the Bidens into the impeachment spotlight.
Paul has argued that Trumps defense team should be allowed to call whatever witnesses they want.
The president gets to call anybody he thinks would be good for his defense, the prosecution can call who they want, but I dont think we should selectively call witnesses that don’t like the president, Paul said last week.
Kennedy argued that Trumps lawyers would likely want to cross-examine the Bidens.
I feel pretty confident, though I dont know it for a fact, that the defense team is going to want to call its witnesses, including but not limited to the Bidens, [and] as a fact witness the whistleblower, he said.  
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Dems to present case on abuse of power on trial’s third dayThe Hill’s Morning Report – House prosecutes Trump as ‘lawless,’ ‘corrupt’MORE (R-Ky.) has also opened the door to subpoenaing Hunter Biden.
When you get to that issue, I cant imagine that only the witnesses that our Democratic colleagues would want to call would be called, he said.
Graham acknowledged he doesnt yet know of three other Republicans to vote against subpoenaing Hunter Biden but his opposition to the move all but guarantees that it wont happen.
I need some Republicans who would say as much as I want to know more about Burisma and the Bidens, this is not the venue. Ive got to find four, he said.
Republicans control 53 seats and Democrats have 47. A motion to subpoena witnesses would deadlock on a 50-50 vote.
If Graham says that hauling Hunter Biden before the Senate would be going down too much of a political rabbit hole, its extremely hard to imagine moderates such as Sens. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: ‘Right matters. And the truth matters.’Senate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesSusan Collins asked Justice Roberts to intervene after Nadler late-night ‘cover-up’ accusationMORE (R-Maine), Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiSchiff pleads to Senate GOP: ‘Right matters. And the truth matters.’Senate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesTensions between McConnell and Schumer run high as trial gains momentumMORE (R-Alaska) or Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneySenate Republicans confident they’ll win fight on witnessesSchumer accuses GOP of using ‘shiny objects’ to distract from witness fightNo rush to judgment on Trump it’s been ongoing since Election DayMORE (R-Utah) doing so.
Graham said there should be an investigation into Hunter Bidens business dealings in Ukraine and what he did as a highly compensated board member of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company, but he warned that the impeachment trial is not the appropriate venue.
I dont want to call Hunter Biden. I dont want to call Joe Biden. I want someone to look at this when this is done, he said Friday.
I dont think its wrong for us to look at the Biden connection in the Ukraine, the $3 million given to the vice presidents son by the most corrupt company in the Ukraine, he added.
But Graham said hes going to oppose subpoenas for them because this needs to end, referring to the impeachment trial.
To my Republican friends, you may be upset about what happened in the Ukraine with the Bidens but this is not the venue to litigate that, he said.
He believes it would be more appropriate for a special investigator such as former FBI Director Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerSchiff: Trump acquittal in Senate trial would not signal a ‘failure’ Jeffries blasts Trump for attack on Thunberg at impeachment hearingLive coverage: House Judiciary to vote on impeachment after surprise delayMORE, who investigated Trump, or someone of his nonpartisan stature to do so.