Doug Jones May Vote To Acquit Trump If "Dots Aren't Connected" During Trial; "There Are Gaps" In Story

Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he sees "gaps" in the House's case for impeachment and that he would consider voting to acquit President Trump in the Senate trial if "those dots aren't connected." Jones said he would like to see current and former White House staffers like former national security adviser John Bolton testify in order to "fill in the gaps" in the story presented in the House's impeachment articles. "What I'm trying to do, because quite frankly I didn't sit in front of the TV set the entire time the last two or three months, I have been trying to read this. I have been trying to see if the dots get connected. If that is the case, I think it's a serious matter, I think it's an impeachable matter. But if those dots aren't connected and there are other explanations that I think are consistent with innocence, I will go that way too," Jones said. <blockquote>SEN. DOUG JONES: Any time we’ve got an impeachment article, it's very, very significant. I think what we're trying to do is just get the rules, whatever those rules may be. I think it's full, fair, complete trial that Democrats are looking for. I think the American people are looking for that. I think that members of the Republican caucus are looking for that as well. The well the last thing they want is to be able to vote on this in sometime in January and have new and different facts come out that may have changed their vote down the line. I don't think we're in a -- in a rush, but everyone wants to get this thing moving, get it over with, but do it in the fair, full and complete way. ABC, MARTHA RADDATZ: Let's talk about the vote. The majority leader has said that he believes that at least one or two Democrats in the Senate could defect and vote to acquit the president. Is he talking about you? JONES: I have no idea what Mitch McConnell's talking about these days. He talks about being an impartial juror, but at the same time, he's going to take an oath to be a partial juror. I have yet to figure out what he's talking about. I’ve seen him criticize the House Democrats for the way he's done things, but at the same time, he's trying to rush to judgment and trying to push forward things that's not going to be a full and fair trial. You know, I think that are people in the Democrat -- RADDATZ: I know, sir, you say you're going to be an impartial juror. Given everything we have already seen in the House and that phone call, what is it that you need to know more about? What reason could there be to make you not vote to convict the president? JONES: Well, first -- first of all, Martha, let me -- let me say this. I -- I think these are really serious allegations. If a president of the United States is using his office and the power of the presidency against a country that is dependent upon the United States of America, and he's doing that to withhold aide that is there to battle Russians, you know, those javelins are made in Alabama that the president of Ukraine was talking about. They're there on the front lines against Russian aggression. If he's doing that just to get a political advantage for his own personal campaign, that is a serious, serious matter. What I'm trying to do because, quite frankly, I didn't sit in front of the TV set the entire time the last two or three months. I've been trying to read this. I'm trying to see if the dots get connected. If that is the case, then I think it's a serious matter. I think it's an impeachable matter. But if those dots aren't connected and there are other explanations that I think are consistent with innocence, I will go that way too. I have got to make sure that I -- what I really want to see, though, is to -- to fill in the gaps. There are gaps. Now, people can make up their mind with gaps in testimony, but I would like to see a full and complete picture. And we don't have that because the president has refused to have his people come and testify and deliver documents. He says the Senate's going to give him a fair trial and he wants these folks the testify. Well, let him tell Senator McConnell to let him come testify and get this -- let's get this going as soon as we get back.</BLOCKQUOTE>