Trump acquited as Republicans refuse to punish former president
The verdict, on a vote of 57-43, is all but certain to influence not only the former president’s political future but that of the senators sworn to deliver impartial justice as jurors
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump was acquited on Saturday on charges of inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol, ater a majority of Senate Republicans closed ranks and refused to punish the former president in his historic second impeachment trial.
The five-day trial saw Democratic prosecutors argue — bolstered by dramatic video of the January 6 riot — that Trump betrayed his oath by whipping up his supporters into storming Congress in a last-ditch atempt to cling to power.
It concluded as expected with a majority of Republicans declaring him not guilty, in a sign of the powerful grip the 74-year-old Trump continues to exert on his party.
But while the 57-43 majority that voted to convict fell short of the two-thirds needed in the Senate, seven Republicans joined with Democrats to seek Trump’s conviction, making it the most bipartisan impeachment trial in US history.
President Joe Biden said that despite the acquital the charges against Trump are “not in dispute” and called on Americans to defend democracy.
Trump, who has been secluded in his Florida club since leaving office on January 20, welcomed the verdict -- denouncing the proceedings as “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country.”
Despite the stain of a second impeachment, Trump hinted at a possible political future, saying that “our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun.”
“We have so much work ahead of us, and soon we will emerge with a vision for a bright, radiant, and limitless American future,” he said in a statement.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on January 13, a week ater the chaotic assault that stunned the nation and provoked widespread bipartisan outrage.
Democrats argued that Trump’s behavior was an “open and shut” case of impeachable conduct, retracing how he spent two months repeating the falsehood that the election was stolen, before inciting his supporters to atack Congress and stop the certification of Biden’s victory.
“He summoned his supporters to Washington... whipped them into a frenzy, and directed them at the Capitol,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ater the vote.
The defense team swated the evidence away, arguing that Trump’s appeal to supporters to “fight like hell, at the rally that preceded the atack,” was merely rhetorical.
But their central argument was that the Senate had no constitutional jurisdiction to try a former president. Most Republican senators agreed.
Former US president Donald Trump was acquited of inciting the horrific atack on the US Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a current or former US president but exposed the fragility of America’s democratic traditions and let a divided nation to come to terms with the violence sparked by his defeated presidency.
Barely a month since the deadly Jan.6 riot that stunned the world, the Senate convened for a rare weekend session to deliver its Saturday verdict, voting while armed National Guard troops continued to stand their posts outside the iconic building.
The quick trial, the nation’s first of a former president, showed in raw and emotional detail how perilously close the invaders had come to destroying the nation’s deep tradition of a peaceful transfer of presidential power ater Trump had refused to concede the election.
Rallying outside the White House, he unleashed a mob of supporters to “fight like hell” for him at the Capitol just as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
As hundreds stormed the building, some in tactical gear engaging in bloody combat with police, lawmakers fled for their lives. Five people died.
The verdict, on a vote of 57-43, is all but certain to influence not only the former president’s political future but that of the senators sworn to deliver impartial justice as jurors.
Seven Republicans joined all Democrats to convict, but it was far from the two-third threshold required.
The outcome ater the uprising leaves unresolved the nation’s wrenching divisions over Trump’s brand of politics that led to the most violent domestic atack on one of America’s three branches of government.
“Senators, we are in a dialogue with history, a conversation with our past, with a hope for our future,” said Representative Madeleine Dean, Democrat-pennsylvania, one of the House prosecutors in closing arguments.
“What we do here, what is being asked of each of us here, in this moment, will be remembered.”
Trump, unrepentant, welcomed his second impeachment acquital and said his movement “has only just begun.” He slammed the trial as “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country.”
Though he was acquited of the sole charge of incitement of insurrection, it was easily the largest number of senators to ever vote to find a president of their own party guilty of an impeachment count of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Voting to find Trump guilty were GOP Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mit Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Even ater voting to acquit, the Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell condemned the former president as “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection. Mcconnell contended Trump could not be convicted because he was gone from the White House.
In a statement issued several hours ater the verdict, Biden highlighted the bipartisan nature of the vote to convict as well as McConnell’s strong criticism of Trump.
In keeping with his stated desire to see the country overcome its divisions, Biden said everyone, especially the nation’s leaders, have a duty “to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”
“That is how we end this uncivil war and heal the very soul of our nation. That is the task ahead. And it’s a task we must undertake together,” said Biden, who had hardly weighed in on the proceedings during the week.
The trial had been momentarily thrown into confusion when senators on Saturday suddenly wanted to consider potential witnesses, particularly concerning Trump’s actions as the mob rioted. Prolonged proceedings could have been especially damaging for Biden’s new presidency, significantly delaying his emerging legislative agenda. Coming amid the searing COVID-19 crisis, the Biden White House is trying to rush pandemic relief through Congress.
Biden was spending the weekend with family at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland.