Trump Acquitted Again:
Only Seven GOP Senators Vote
To Convict Over Jan. 6 Attack


BREAKING|Feb 13, 2021,03:54pm EST






Exactly a month and a week after insurrectionists incited a riot at the Capitol
on Jan. 6, former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial came
to a climactic end on Saturday afternoon, with Trump being acquitted for his
alleged role of inciting the deadly event. A majority of senators voted to
convict the former president, but failed to reach the super majority threshold
needed for a conviction.

"This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history
of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it
continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people,
the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few
short months ago," former President Trump said via a released statement.

"Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again
has only just begun. 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. There has never been anything
like it!" the statement continued.

Drama ensued on the Senate floor Saturday morning when senators voted
to hear from witnesses. However, after a roughly one-hour recess, the Senate
determined no witnesses would be called, and opted instead to admit into
evidence written testimony from Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Wash.



The American flag flies at half staff at the U.S. Capitol Building
on the fifth day of the impeachment trial of former U.S.
President Donald Trump, on charges of inciting the deadly attack
on the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, , Feb. 13, 2021.



Then, both the prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments.
When the vote began, the Senate chamber fell silent as each senator's name
was called. As required by Senate rules, each senator present had to pronounce
Trump "guilty" or "not guilty" while they stood behind their individual desks.
A group of 57 senators voted to acquit Trump, and 43 GOP senators voted to convict.

Seven GOP senators -- Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine,
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana,
Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania -- joined
Democrats to vote Trump guilty of "incitement of insurrection."

Cassidy issued a statement after his vote, saying he voted to convict because
"Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person,"
his statement read. "I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty."


MORE: Trump impeachment trial live updates:
Defense hammers at alleged Dem hypocrisy



From the start, many Republican senators stood by the president -- with 44 voting
Tuesday it was unconstitutional to convict a former president.

During the trial, House impeachment managers argued that the Jan. 6 riot was
Trump's final attempt to overturn the presidential election. They claimed he was
no innocent bystander, but rather, an insider and the instigator. They claimed he
had been laying the groundwork for months with false claims and no proof the
election was stolen, riling up Americans who would turn to violence on Jan. 6.

"He built this mob over many months with repeated messaging until they believed
that they had been robbed of their vote and they would do anything to stop the
certification," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said. "He made them believe that their
victory was stolen and incited them so he could use them to steal the election for himself."

The House managers made an intense presentation, often showing moments of
both violence and heroism during the insurrection.

The video timeline the managers played showed how bad that day was, and how
it could have been much worse. According to their argument, the rioters had been
just 58 steps away from some senators. They showed previously unseen footage
of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, being stopped from going the wrong way toward
the mob by Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. They reiterated how close
Vice President Mike Pence and his family were to danger when they were locked
down within the same building where rioters were chanting to hang the vice president.

"The truth is, this attack never would have happened but for Donald Trump. And
so they came, draped in Trump's flag, and used our flag, the American flag to
batter and to bludgeon," Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said. Another House manager,
Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., made a similar argument, saying Trump "directed
them here, to Congress. He quite literally, at one part of that speech, pointed at us."

The managers' argument ended with the message that a vote to convict is simply
holding Trump accountable for the events of Jan. 6, and that if convicted, the
Senate would need to hold an additional vote to disqualify Trump from seeking reelection.

"My dear colleagues, is there any political leader in this room who believes that if
he is ever allowed by the Senate to get back into the Oval Office, Donald Trump
would stop inciting violence to get his way?" lead House Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin,
D-Md., said in his closing arguments. "Would you bet the lives of more police
officers on that? Would you bet the safety of your family on that? Would you bet
the future of your democracy on that?"



President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a rally to
contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election
results by the Congress, in Washington, Jan 6, 2021.



Trump's lawyers were often combative in their rebuttal.

They neither sought to call the election results fraudulent nor did they defend
the actions of Jan. 6. They focused their argument on claiming the former
president's words did not incite violence, that political speech must be protected
and that the Senate cannot convict a private citizen under the Constitution.




Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen, second from left, celebrates after
the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump,
Feb, 13, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Trump was acquitted by the
Senate of inciting the deadly January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.



One of Trump's attorneys, Michael van der Veen, argued that Trump's comments
during his speech before the riot were not violent because he had called for peace,
and that Trump had a First Amendment right to use what is largely commonplace
political rhetoric, calling for his supporters to "fight." Van der Veen repeatedly
claimed that Trump's language is nearly indistinguishable from similar rhetoric
used by Democrats and the media. He proceeded to show various edited video
montages of Democrats using similar rhetoric, where they also called on their
supporters to "fight" or saying they would "fight" on the Senate floor.

Further leaning into Washington's already political divisiveness, the defense team
also showed Democrats urging for Trump's impeachment before the events of Jan. 6.

"These are the metaphorical, rhetorical uses of the word 'fight,' van Der Even said.
"We all know that, right? Suddenly the word 'fight' is off limits? Spare us the hypocrisy
and false indignation. It's a term used over and over and over again by politicians on
both sides of the aisle."

Regardless of his acquittal, the trial will cement Trump's place as the only president
to be impeached twice in American history.

AGAIN