Impeachment Trial Ends With Senate Acquitting Trump
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Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial ended on Saturday afternoon with him being acquitted of the single charge of inciting supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The decision to acquit Trump came after five days of contentious proceedings, hours of edited videos, and a bizarre abandoned plan on Saturday to call witnesses on the House Democrats’ behalf.
While impeachment managers provided a systematic breakdown on how Trump’s rhetoric throughout his four-year term culminated in his incitement of the Capitol riots, they failed to garner the 67 votes needed to convict.
We Need a 9/11-Style Panel After the Inevitable, Pathetic End to Trump’s Trial
The outcome was hardly a surprise. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told colleagues on Saturday morning he planned to join 43 other GOP senators who had already said the unprecedented trial was unconstitutional.
Six Republicans had voted that the impeachment trial was constitutional—Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Pat Toomey (PA).
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) joined them on Saturday to vote to convict Trump.
In a statement, Burr said that he initially believed it was “unconstitutional’ to impeach an ex-president but he believes “the facts are clear.”
“As I said on January 6, the President bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charges rise to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” he wrote. “Therefore, I have voted to convict. I do not make this decision lightly, but I believe it is necessary.”
Burr added that Trump “violated his oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution” by what “he did and by what he did not do” during his term.
“My hope is that with today’s vote America can begin to move forward and focus on the critical issues facing our country today,” he added.
‘Cancel Culture,’ Antifa, Madonna: Trump’s Defense Is MAGA MadLibs—And It’s Working for GOP
Five people died when supporters invaded the Capitol as Congress met to certify President Joe Biden’s victory, including a Capitol Police officer who was attacked by the mob. Most of the more than 200 people arrested have claimed their deep affinity for the former president—and many said they traveled to D.C. on Jan. 6 at Trump’s behest.
During the impeachment managers’ two-day argument, lawmakers argued that Trump had been encouraging violent behavior since at least 2015, when a Black protester was tackled during a rally. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) argued that, while Jan. 6 seemed to be the boiling point, it “was not some unexpected radial break from [Trump’s] normal law-abiding and peaceful disposition, this was his state of mind.”
Impeachment managers played previously unseen clips from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, showing chilling scenes of rioters crashing into the government building and lawmakers narrowly escaping the mob.
In a combative Friday presentation, Trump’s defense team argued that the riots were not spurred by their client—but were the work of “antifa” (the FBI and DOJ have disputed this) and an attempt at “constitutional cancel culture.”
They accused impeachment managers of selectively editing evidence and said Trump was the “most pro-police, anti-mob president this country has ever seen.”
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