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WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will vote to acquit Donald Trump in the former president’s impeachment trial.

That’s according to a source familiar with McConnell’s thinking who was not authorized to publicly discuss the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Word of McConnell’s decision came Saturday before what is expected to be a final day in the historic trial on the charge that Trump incited the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

The Republican leader’s views are closely watched and carry sway among GOP senators, and his decision on Trump is likely to influence others weighing their votes.

While most Democrats are expected to convict Trump, the two-thirds vote needed for conviction appears unlikely, given that the Senate is evenly split 50-50 between the parties.

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