Senate votes to acquit Trump on impeachment charges
In this image from video, the vote total on the first article of impeachment is displayed on screen during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)
The U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Wednesday evening.
The two votes mark an end to the monthslong impeachment process that began in September when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry against Trump.
The Senate voted 47-53 along party lines to acquit Trump on the second Article of Impeachment alleging the president of obstructing Congress.
Senators voted to acquit Trump on the first Article of Impeachment, alleging he abused the power of his office in a vote of 48-52. Utah Senator Mitt Romney provided the sole guilty vote among Senate Republicans.
“I had to do what I had sworn to do as an individual and not take into account what other senators are going to do and how many will vote this way and that way,” Romney said. “You do what you know is right, and you let happen what happens.”
Three moderate Democrat senators who were viewed as potential swing voters in the acquittal vote — Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Doug Jones of Alabama — all voted guilty on both charges in a display of party unity.
Jones — who won the 2017 U.S. Senate special election in Alabama, beating Republican candidate Roy Moore by a margin of 1.6% — faces a potentially difficult re-election campaign partially fueled by his unity with more liberal Senate Democrats.
“Senators are elected to make tough choices,” Jones said. “The gravity of this moment, the seriousness of the charges and the implications for future presidencies and Congresses all contributed to the difficulty with which I have arrived at my decision.”
Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins was also seen as a possible swing vote due to her history on several divisive issues, such as her vote for the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
“I do not believe the House has met its burden of showing that the president’s conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of immediate removal from office,” Collins said.
Shortly after the Senate voted on acquittal, the White House released a statement describing the impeachment proceedings as a “sham” and a “wholly corrupt process.”
The White House stated, “The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people.”
Pelosi responded to Trump’s acquittal by criticizing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s role in leading the Republicans’ decision to acquit the president.
“The Founders never imagined that they would at the same time have a rogue leader in the Senate who would cowardly abandon his duty to uphold the Constitution,” Pelosi said.
Trump made a public statement on the final acquittal vote at noon today from the White House, doubling down on his criticism of the proceeding and thanking McConnell for his involvement in leading the acquittal vote.
“This should never happen to another president, ever,” Trump said. “I don't know that other presidents would have been able to take it.”
A full transcript of Trump's post-acquittal speech was released by the White House.
