Republicans in the United States Senate have exonerated Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. They thus consider that the former president is not guilty of having incited the insurrection and the looting of the Capitol, which caused seven deaths. Even so, seven out of 50 Republicans joined the Democrats in condemning the former president, something unusual. Two-thirds of the votes were needed to disqualify him, that is, 67 in total.
Trump, who can now wage a political battle, immediately broke his silence to declare, in a statement, “This has been one more phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country. No president has been through anything like this, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the nearly 75 million people, the highest number for a sitting president, who voted for us a few months ago.
The seven Republicans who joined the Democrats are Richard Burr from North Carolina, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Mitt Romney from Utah, Ben Sasse from Nebraska, Patrick Toomey from Pennsylvania. The last six voted to open trial earlier in the week. To the first, Burr, it seems that the allegations of the Democrats convinced him to go to the other side and condemn Trump. In Trump’s first impeachment trial, only one Republican, Romney, joined the Democrats. This trial, without witnesses, has lasted four days.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of former President Trump’s main political allies, assured on Sunday that he continues to be “the most powerful force” of the Republican Party after overcoming the second ‘impeachment’ launched against him on Saturday. The Trump movement is alive and well. All I can say is that the strongest force in the Republican Party is that of President Trump. We need the extra from Trump, “Graham said in statements to Fox News.
The Republican Party wants to turn the page of the Trump era, and although he ends up exonerated, for the conservative leaders on Capitol Hill the evidence and testimonies provided are already enough condemnation, especially when it has become clear that they are the main victims of the reckless actions of the former president. So weak has been Trump’s defense in the trial that took place this week in the Capitol, so armed by the hair, that this Saturday, completely surprised, the Democrats and a few Republicans joined to briefly lengthen the process and, something that does not leave Trump well, include in the case file a written testimony that shows that the former president acted with great passivity that fateful day of January 6.
Republicans were deeply dissatisfied with Trump’s defense, who claimed on Friday that former Vice President Mike Pence was never in danger when the videos clearly showed his evacuation from the Capitol as the angry mob shouted “Hang Mike Pence” a few feet away. . With forceful, the Democratic deputies who brought the impeachment revealed that the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, implored Trump to do something, to send reinforcements to the Capitol, to ask his supporters to leave immediately, but the president He did it late and badly, reluctantly, with a couple of nuanced tweets.
