“In the months ahead I have much to share with you,and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people,” he said.
In a blistering speech after the final vote,Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said there was no question that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the assault on the Capitol.
“The people that stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president.”
Mitch McConnell,US Senate Republican leader
“The people that stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president,” McConnell said.
“And having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements,conspiracy theories and reckless hyperbole.”
But McConnell explained that he voted to acquit Trump because he believes only sitting presidents can be convicted by the Senate under the constitution.
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President Joe Biden said in a statement:“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 has reminded us that democracy is fragile.”
The impeachment charge,passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives in January,stated that Trump had “threatened the integrity of the democratic system,interfered with the peaceful transition of power,and imperiled a co-equal branch of government”.
“He thereby betrayed his trust as president,to the manifest injury of the people of the United States,” the article of impeachment stated.
In their concluding arguments,the Democratic impeachment managers said that the senators who voted to acquit Trump would be judged harshly long after they have departed Congress.
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“This is almost certainly how you will be remembered by history,” Jamie Raskin,the lead impeachment manager,said.
“That might not be fair,it really might not be fair,but none of us can escape the demands of history and destiny right now.”
The Democrats also argued that failing to hold Trump accountable for the assault on the Capitol,which led to five deaths,would make political violence more likely in the future.
“The cold,hard truth is that what happened on January 6th can happen again,” Democratic impeachment manager Joe Neguse said. “I fear,like many of you do,that the violence we saw on that terrible day may be just the beginning.”
Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen countered that Trump never asked his supporters to behave violently and that his call for them to “fight like hell” against the election outcome was standard political rhetoric.
Van der Veen said Trump’s impeachment trial was “flagrantly unconstitutional” given the former president is no longer in office.
“This impeachment has been a complete charade from beginning to end,” he said.