Trump acquitted in second impeachment trial

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2021 at 5:16 pm

Former President Donald Trump was acquitted in the U.S. Senate this afternoon in his second impeachment trial.

White House portrait of President Donald J. Trump

The vote was 57 in favor to convict and 43 to acquit. Two-thirds vote is needed for conviction.

Trump was also acquitted on Feb. 5, 2019 in the first impeachment trial. That time, Mitt Romney of Utah was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump.

This time seven Republicans found Trump guilty. Those Republicans include Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

New York’s U.S. senators – Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand – are both Democrats and they voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“Donald Trump inspired, directed, and propelled a mob to violently prevent the peaceful transfer of power, subvert the will of the people, and illegally keep him in power,” Schumer said. “There is nothing more un-American than that. There is nothing more antithetical to our democracy.”

Gillibrand released the following statement:

“The evidence is irrefutable. For months, President Trump laid the groundwork for the insurrection, actively promoting conspiracy theories about election fraud to his supporters. On January 6th, he incited violence against Congress and his own vice president. Finally, even as his violent supporters stormed the Capitol, causing untold destruction and several deaths, President Trump refused to take action to protect members of Congress, the vice president, Capitol Police and law enforcement officers, staff and those working in the Capitol.

“This shameful incident has left a stain on our nation that can never be removed—nor should it.

“As a United States senator, I swore an oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution. Today, I upheld that oath by voting to convict President Trump under charges of inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government. I thank the other senators, including seven of my Republican colleagues, who had the courage to do the same.”