Chris Murphy: 'Enormous Stain' on Senate Without Trump Trial Witnesses

There will be an "enormous stain" on the Senate if the vote for having witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial goes as expected, Sen. Chris Murphy warned Friday.

"There's also rumors we may not even have deliberations," the Connecticut Democrat told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "We may not even go behind closed doors and talk to each other about the consequences of what we've heard. A trial with no witnesses, with no deliberations, that isn't a trial."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that there will not be a "real acquittal" of Trump, as there can't be a trial without witnesses or documents, and Murphy agreed.

"This can't be a real acquittal," said Murphy, adding that "of course" lawmakers will learn more about what former national security adviser John Bolton has to say about what Trump told him on Ukraine, but it will be "too late."

"Senate Republicans can't cover this up forever," said Murphy. "We're going to find out exactly what Donald Trump said to John Bolton, find out eventually the scope of this corruption, and then it's going to be too late because the trial will be over and we'll be in the middle of a re-election campaign in which the president will be potentially empowered, potentially green-lighted to do more of the kind of corruption that he engaged in with Ukraine."

He also accused Republicans of putting themselves before the country by refusing to allow evidence and witnesses in the trial.

"They know that if John Bolton's testimony comes out before they render a verdict, if the American public gets to see the former national security adviser talking about the scope of President Trump's direction, his personal direction of this corruption, it makes it really hard for them to vote to acquit," said Murphy. "So they are trying to make the acquittal vote on them as easy as possible."

• Mitt Romney to Vote for Witnesses
• Trump Trial Day 9: Witnesses Not Needed, Lamar Alexander Says