BARE FACTS: “GUILTY” 57 VOTES, “NOT GUILTY” 43 VOTES
Left, Chuck Schumer, right, Mitch McConnell: Senate Majority
and Minority Leader respectively
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by Jack Wright
Impeachment issue: While still in office, Trump is accused of “inciting violence against the Government of the United States,” a “high crimes and misdemeanor”. It is alleged that he was behind the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021.
13 February 2021: The Democrats rested their case against former President Donald Trump.
Senate vote, 13 February 2021:
43 Republican Senators voted that Trump is “Not guilty” as accused, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who agreed with the Democratic impeachment managers that Trump incited the insurrection of his supporters but argued, as Trump’s defense lawyers and at least ten “not-guilty” Republican Senators did, on technical grounds, that the Senate has no jurisdiction over the case because the defendant is now out of office.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted to declare Trump “guilty”
(In January, while he was still the Senate Majority Leader, McConnell ruled that the Senate trial be held after Joe Biden was inaugurated on 20 January 2021 the 46th President of the United States.)
Seven Republican Senators voted “Guilty”.
All 50 Democrats in the Senate voted “Guilty”.
Total vote: 43 “Not guilty”; 57 “Guilty”.
The Democrats were 10 votes short of reaching a “Guilty” verdict.
Final outcome: Trump is acquitted.
Historical implication: the Senate voting was the largest bipartisan voting on presidential impeachment in U.S. history.
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Related post: DONALD TRUMP: HOW TO GET IMPEACHED TWICE AND MAKE HISTORY
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Images
Featured image: Chuck Schumer/Edward Kimmel, CC BY-SA2.0; Mitch McConnell/Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA2.0
Senator Murkowski, Senate official photo, PD
