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Manchin floated censure in Trump's Ukraine case
Summary
A Democratic senator's proposal on 3 February 2020 offered an alternative to impeachment over pressure on Ukraine.
What did a Democratic senator propose as the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump neared its conclusion? On 3 February 2020, a day before the covered date of 4 February 2020, Senator Joe Manchin asked his colleagues to consider censuring Trump as an alternative to impeachment.
The censure idea concerned Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate domestic political rivals. Manchin was considered friendly with the White House, which gave his suggestion added attention in the trial's final stretch.
A separate crisis in Syria
The same day, a different regional conflict flared. Syrian Army shelling in Idlib Governorate killed Turkish military personnel, and Turkish forces retaliated. A pro-opposition war monitor said the retaliation killed 13 Syrian soldiers, which Syria denied.
Turkish President Erdoğan said the shelling killed five Turkish soldiers and three civilian personnel, with nine others injured. He said the Russians needed to stand aside. The Russian Ministry of Defence said Turkey had moved troops inside the de-escalation zone without notifying the Russian side.
