Alva Review-Courier -

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe said Tuesday that his wife, Kay, suffered what he described as a mild stroke last week, causing the Republican to miss the first day of impeachment trial proceedings.

Inhofe, 85, told the Tulsa World newspaper his wife of 60 years is "progressing nicely and there was no damage."

Inhofe was back in Washington early Tuesday, but he traded his front row seat for Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner's desk near the cloak room in case he had to leave suddenly.

Speaking by telephone, Inhofe told the paper he expects to vote for Trump's acquittal on the two articles of impeachment brought by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, "in the absence of something I have not heard before."

Inhofe held the Republican line that the two charges against Trump, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, are not impeachable offenses. And he brushed aside the nonpartisan General Accountability Office's finding that the administration did in fact break the law by withholding aid to Ukraine.

Inhofe said he'll be listening to the proceedings carefully and doing some research, and that he plans to ask questions when the time for that comes, probably early next week.