Trump was acquitted a second time in a political trial, in 13 months. These are the main points of what happened on the last day of the Senate process
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The Senate found former President Donald Trump not guilty during the final session of the second impeachment trial on Saturday.
Senators voted 57 – 43 in favor of condemning Trump by inciting an insurrection in the Capitol on January 6 , which was not enough to reach the required majority of two-thirds of the votes.
Trump’s second impeachment trial lasted five days and both House administrators and defense attorneys presented evidence and arguments to support their positions.
Democrats needed that 17 Republicans will vote with them to condemn Trump for inciting an insurrection. In the end, seven Republicans voted to convict Trump: Senators Richard M. Burr from North Carolina, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitt Romney from Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Patrick J. Toomey from Pennsylvania.
House impeachment managers unexpectedly called witnesses and then abruptly abandoned the request, after reach an agreement with Trump’s defense team to add to the trial record a written statement from Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, a Republican who said she had been told that Trump sided with the rioters as they attacked the Capitol.
Forty-three Republicans voted to acquit Trump for inciting an insurrection against the United States, more than enough to prevent the two-thirds majority required for conviction.
Trump was declared not guilty.
“Let the record show, before God, history and the solemn oath that we swore to the Constitution, that there was only one correct verdict in this trial: guilty, ”said the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, after the vote.
Former President Trump immediately celebrated the verdict in a statement denouncing the “ witch hunt ”which, according to him, was being waged against him. He also suggested that the Democrats’ attempt to end his political career had failed, telling his supporters, “Our historic, patriotic, and beautiful movement to make America great again has just begun.”
