The U.S. Senate has acquitted President Donald Trump of impeachment, ending only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country and tested civic norms.
The proceedings also are feeding the tumultuous 2020 run for the White House.
A majority of senators expressed unease with Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment.
But there was nowhere near the two-thirds vote necessary in the Republican-held Senate to remove the president from office.
He was found not guilty of both articles of impeachment.
On article 1 - abuse of power - the vote was 52-48. Sen. Mitt Romney voted guilty.
On article 2 - obstruction of Congress - the vote was 53-47. Sen. Mitt Romney voted not guilty.
Trump is eager to use the tally as vindication, a political anthem in his reelection bid. Shortly after the vote, Trump said that he would make an announcement from the White House on Thursday.
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Earlier, Sen. Romney said he would vote to convict President Trump, likely the only Republican senator to favor ousting the impeached president.
Romney made his announcement on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
Romney called Trump's actions - the president was impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress- "perhaps the most abusive and destructive" violation of oath of office that I can imagine."
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen voted to convict Trump.
“I didn’t come to the Senate expecting to sit as a juror in an impeachment trial,” said Senator Rosen. “I have participated in this trial with an open mind, determined to evaluate the President’s actions outside of any partisan lens, and with a focus on my constitutional obligations. I listened to the arguments, took detailed notes, asked questions, and heard both sides answer questions from my colleagues. After thorough consideration, based on the evidence presented, sadly I find I have no choice but to vote to remove the President from office.”
“No one is above the law, not this president or the next president,” Senator Rosen continued. “Having exercised my constitutional duty, I will continue what I have been doing over the course of this trial and have done since I first came to Congress – to look past partisanship and develop commonsense, bipartisan solutions that help hardworking families in Nevada and across the country.”
You can read her full statement below -
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto also voted to convict President Trump.
For two weeks I listened to the arguments presented by both sides, took notes, posed questions, and identified the facts that were supported and substantiated and those that were not.
No act in our country is more sacred and solemn for democracy than voting. And nothing in our system of government is more vital to the continued health of our democracy than its elections. No American should stand for foreign election interference, much less invite it.
I was sent to Congress not just to fight for all Nevadans, but also to fight for our children and their future. To leave them with a country that still believes in right and wrong. That exposes corruption in government and holds it accountable. That stands up to tyranny at home and abroad.
That is why I cannot condone this president’s actions by acquitting him.
You can read her full statement below -
President Trump's legal team previously said that the two articles of impeachment brought against the president — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — don’t amount to impeachment offenses. It asserts that the impeachment inquiry centered on Trump’s request that Ukraine’s president open an investigation into Democratic rival Joe Biden was never about finding the truth.
The Trump team claims that the Constitution requires that senators agree “on the specific basis for conviction” and that there is no way to ensure that the senators agree on which acts are worthy of removal. Senior administration officials argued that similar imprecision in the articles applied to the multi-part article of impeachment for perjury in the Bill Clinton impeachment trial.
Democrats say Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress over his pressure on Ukraine for political help.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said House lawmakers would subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton in the near future. Bolton declined to appear before the House committees last year and said he would resist a subpoena, but eventually said he would be willing to speak before the Senate in the impeachment trial.
Nadler, who was one of the House impeachment managers, also cast doubt on Vice President Mike Pence's assertion that the vote to acquit Trump would be "bipartisan."
"I don't know what he means by bipartisan, but, I mean, it's clear beyond any doubt that the case against the president was proven," Nadler said.
(AP, CBS News)
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