Dan Freedman reports in the Times Union that after the U.S. House of Representatives votes for impeachment this week, New York's Sen. Chuck Schumer will have a starring role in the trial in the Senate in January. Already, Schumer thrust himself into the debate on Dec. 16, pressing for specific witnesses to be called in the Senate trial. “I haven’t seen a single good argument about why these witnesses shouldn’t testify … unless the president has something to hide,” Schumer said. “We don’t know what kind of evidence (the witnesses) will present. They might present exculpatory evidence that helps the president. It may be incriminating against the president. But they should be heard.” Schumer called for four witnesses to testify: former National Security Adviser John Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Blair, and Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffy. Schumer also asked for the White House to release documents subpoenaed by the House but never released. On Dec. 17 there are pro-impeachment rallies planned in Hudson, Kingston, Rhinebeck, Albany, and over 500 other cities around the country. Read more about this story in the Times Union.