[ad_1]
Donald Trump was acquitted of inciting an insurrection in last month’s deadly assault on the US Capitol, as Republican senators closed ranks in the former president’s second impeachment to avoid conviction.
After a five-day trial, the Senate voted 57-43 Saturday afternoon on the question of whether Trump was guilty of inciting an insurrection. Seven Republicans – Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey – joined all Democrats in voting to convict the president.
Trump was acquitted because, under the U.S. constitution, two-thirds of the Senate had to find him guilty in order for him to be convicted. Democrats hoped to convict the former president and then obtain a simple majority of votes to prevent him from holding public office in the future. Trump has not ruled out running for president again in 2024.
The acquittal closes a dark period in U.S. political history that began with Trump’s rejection of the November 3 election results and culminated in the worst episode of political violence in the halls of the U.S. Congress in more than Two centuries.
The swift conclusion of the impeachment will free up political space and the legislative calendar for Congress to move forward with talks to pass Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan, his top priority since his inauguration on January 20.
The former president issued a statement following Saturday’s verdict saying: “This has been one more phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country. No president has been through something like this. “
He added: “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to make America great again has just begun. I have a lot to share with you in the coming months and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. “
The Senate vote underscores the strong grip Trump continues to exercise over the Republican Party. The former president has retained the loyalty of Republican legislators despite losing the presidential elections in November and repeating the falsehood that the ballots were manipulated against him. His supporters widely criticized him for his handling of the January 6 attack that disrupted Biden’s certification of Electoral College victory and left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
Trump’s acquittal was expected, especially since only six of the 50 Republican senators voted in favor of a motion stating that Trump could still be tried even though he is no longer in office.
It came hours after an unexpected back and forth in the Senate that resulted in the upper house of Congress voting to call witnesses and subpoena information, only to reverse that decision.
Jamie Raskin, the Democratic congressman from Maryland who served as de facto chief prosecutor, said Saturday morning that he wanted to subpoena Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler after she confirmed news reports that Trump rejected calls for her to intervene while his supporters looted the Capitol.
According to a CNN report on Friday night, Herrera Beutler said that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had told him that Trump had responded to his call for help during the riot by saying, “Well, Kevin , I think these people are more upset about the choice than you are. “
The Senate voted 55-45 in favor of calling witnesses, prompting deliberations involving the prosecution, Trump’s legal team, and Senate leadership on how to proceed. But Democrats capitulated hours later, when both sides said they agreed to put a press release from Herrera Beutler on the trial record, before moving on to closing arguments.
Saturday’s acquittal marks the second time Trump has been exonerated in a Senate trial. Last year, he was found not guilty of charges related to his efforts to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden after only one Republican, Mitt Romney, voted to convict him.
Trump is only the third president in US history to be impeached. He is the only president to have been indicted twice and the first former president to face trial.
