Last-minute drama in impeachment trial

Just when everyone involved in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump was gearing up for a swift conclusion and vote, a last-minute intervention changed it all. Suddenly the focus switched from what Trump said BEFORE the attack on the Capitol and what he said or did AFTER the riot was in full sway. Strictly speaking the incitement to insurrection charge was all about how the former president used words in hs January 6 speech which stirred/encouraged/incited his supporters to raid Congress. But with the Senate resigned to the unavoidable verdict - conviction by all Democratic senators and acquittal by the majority of Republican senators - that interval between the speech and the first smashing of windows became a point of acute interest. The decision to call witnesses was truly a stunning moment. And it was all because a Republican senator who had voted to support the impeachment trial revealed that she had been briefed on a conversation between Trump and the Republican minority leader of the House Kevin McCarthy when the assault had started. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutley (Washington) said McCarthy had pleaded with Trump to stop the violence, but Trump just replied that it was clear his supporters felt more angry about the 2020 election result than the Republican party. Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alaska, was also involved in phone conversations with Trump at the time. No one had known about these conversations before and the revelation opened a can of worms. Forget about a swift conclusion to the trial, suddenly there was a demand for witnesses to be called. Not just McCarthy and Tuberville and Hererra Beutley. What about Mike Pence, the vice president, who was seen being hustled away from danger as the rioters invaded Congress? Did he get a call from Trump? Was Trump even remotely worried about Pence's safety after as good as calling on his supporters to denounce the vice president for failing to reject the election result in his capacity as president of the Senate. What about the Secret Service team protecting Trump? What did they see and hear? Can they be forced to appear as witnesses? There is no way the trial can end today if all these questions are going to be answered? It could go on for weeks and get murkier and murkier.