Trump acquitted of inciting an insurrection


TRANSCRIPT:

The Senate has acquitted the former president Donald Trump in his impeachment trial with a 57-43 vote. He was charged by the House with inciting an insurrection in relation to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A conviction requires at least 67 senate votes, or a 2/3 majority. So there were not enough votes to convict.

There was some drama this morning because the Senate voted to allow witnesses in the trial. But that was dropped after Democrats and Republicans agreed to simply enter a statement from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beulter into evidence. The representative explained that when the House Republican Kevin McCarthy (Calif) phoned Trump during the Capitol attack to ask him to say something on TV to demand a stop, Trump said the people were antifa. McCarthy said it was not true. Trump then said he “guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.”

House impeachment managers tried to prove that Trump was directly responsible for the mob that attacked the Capitol, while Trump’s defense team said his speeches before the attack are protected speech under the First Amendment and that he was simply expressing his political views.

In the final vote, all 50 Democrats and 7 Republicans voted to convict. 43 voted to acquit. He has survived his second impeachment trial. This means he can run again for office in 2024.

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