The Senate is supposed to vote soon on whether to call additional witnesses in the impeachment trial. Some Republicans might join the Democrats in calling for witnesses, which creates the possibility of a tie vote.
It’s not clear that Roberts should have the tie-breaking vote. While it’s true that the Vice President usually presides over the Senate and breaks ties, and the chief justice presides over the Senate in this case, it’s not an exact parallel, and legal scholars differ on whether Roberts has the authority to cast a tie-breaking vote.
I predict that if it comes to that, Roberts will assert that he does have the authority, and he will vote to call more witnesses.
IMO, he doesn’t have much of a choice. If he votes to call witnesses, that doesn’t prejudge the outcome, it simply prolongs the trial. If he votes not to call witnesses, that ends things, and would be seen as partisan, which is apparently the monster that lives under John Roberts’ bed. He’s deathly afraid of seeming partisan.
On another impeachment matter, let’s say Democrats somehow get the votes to removed Trump from office. Does that prevent him from running again and getting elected to a second term?
That would be high theater.
I’ve asked Ted Cruz, who’s doing a very interesting podcast on the impeachment saga, but I doubt he’ll answer me.