The US Senate acquits Trump after a landmark trial

World

Published: 2021-02-14 11:05

Last Updated: 2024-03-25 15:33


Capitol Attacks on Jan. 6. Source: NBC
Capitol Attacks on Jan. 6. Source: NBC

Saturday, the US Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump of 'inciting insurrection' following the deadly Capitol Attacks on Jan. 6.

57 of the US' 100 Senators voted for Trump's conviction, but a two-thirds majority is needed to convict. 

Trump welcomed his acquittal, saying that his political movement 'has just begun.'

"Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to make the United States great again has just begun," he said in a statement.

"In the coming months, I have a lot to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our wonderful journey together to achieve American greatness for our people as a whole."

US President Joe Biden said Saturday after Trump was acquitted, "While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute."

"This sad chapter in our history reminds us that democracy is fragile," he said.

The leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, harshly criticized Trump, despite the vote to acquit the former president, saying that he was 'responsible' for the attack on Jan. 6.

"There is no doubt that President Trump is responsible, in practice and morally, for provoking the events of that day," he said in a speech after the vote.

"These criminals were carrying his flags. They hung his flags and shouted loyalty to him," he added.

McConnell described Trump's actions that led to that assault as 'a disgraceful dereliction of duty.'

McConnell went further, indicating that Trump could face charges now that he leaves office.

"President Trump is still responsible for everything he did while he was in office (...) he hasn't escaped anything yet," he said.

Despite this, the Kentucky Republican said he voted to acquit Trump of the charge of incitement to revolt because it is unconstitutional, he said, for a president to be convicted in an impeachment trial after leaving office.

After the trial, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was openly targeted by rioters and evacuated from the Capitol on Jan. 6, described Republican senators who voted to acquit Trump as 'cowards.'

"The refusal of the Republicans in the Senate to hold Trump responsible for fomenting a violent revolt to hold on to power will become one of the darkest and most shameful days in the history of our nation," she said.

Earlier Saturday, the Senate began hearing closing arguments as part of Trump's trial.

Before moving to the final pleadings, the procedures were suspended for a few hours, after the Democratic prosecutors in the House of Representatives announced, in a surprise move, their intention to summon the witnesses to court.

The leader of the Democratic prosecutors' team at the trial, Jamie Raskin, said that he intended to summon a Republican lawmaker to testify, but he eventually agreed with Trump's defense attorney to content themselves with recording her testimony as evidence.

Trump's defense team responded to the threat to summon Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other witnesses.

The council then voted 55 to 45 in favor of allowing witnesses to be summoned, but the plaintiffs and defense attorneys reached an agreement allowing the trial to proceed to closing arguments.

Raskin wanted to summon Jamie Herrera Beutler, Representative from Washington state, to testify after she published a statement on the events of Jan. 6.

Butler was one of 10 Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Trump in the House of Representatives.

In her statement, she said that House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Trump during the assault and urged him to call on protesters to leave.

"When McCarthy finally managed to reach the (then) president on January 6 and ask him to publicly and forcefully stop the riots, the president repeated at first the lie that it was the 'Antifa' (leftist) movement that violated the Capitol," she said in the statement.

She said, "McCarthy refuted that and told the president that these are Trump supporters."

"Then, according to McCarthy, the president said: 'Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.'"

- "We lack jurisdiction" -

Shortly before the trial resumed Saturday, McConnell sent an email to the rest of the Republican senators saying that the Senate lacks the jurisdiction to impeach a former president. 

He added, "The constitution makes clear that the president can be prosecuted for criminal misconduct while in office legally after leaving office."

"Based on these conclusions, I will vote for the acquittal," he added.

Trump's attorneys considered the impeachment measures unconstitutional and considered "political revenge."

They noted that Trump's speech near the White House that preceded the attack, in which he told his supporters to "fought," was only rhetorical and did not call for any specific actions.

In an effort to turn the tables on the Democrats' filmed evidence, defense attorneys showed a series of recordings showing Democrats MPs in various situations using the word "fought."

House Democrats who ran the trial process indicated that Trump intentionally raised tension after losing to Biden by launching what they described as a campaign of lies about the existence of widespread election fraud.

Trump had called for a rally on Jan. 6 near the White House, in which he called on the crowds to march towards Congress, which was preparing to verify Biden's victory.

The group then stormed the Capitol, disrupting the Congressional vote. Five people were killed, including a policeman and a woman who was shot dead during the unrest.


Also read: Trump's second impeachment trial begins