In a 51-to-49 vote, Republicans shut down an effort by Democrats to bring new witnesses and documents into the Senate impeachment trial. As they cleared a path toward acquittal, some Republicans stepped forward to explain why they voted as they did — even though they believed what President Trump did was wrong.

“The Latest” is a series on the impeachment process, from the team behind “The Daily.” You can find more information about it here.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.