Former US President Donald Trump has been acquitted on the charge of “incitement of insurrection” in relation to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
The US Senate has failed to gather enough votes to convict former president Donald Trump in his historic second impeachment trial.
Trump released a statement on his acquittal:
BYPASS THE CENSORS
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CNET reports: The acquittal, largely along party lines, was expected. Though the Senate is split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris a potential tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate, the impeachment trial required a two-thirds supermajority for conviction. In the end, the vote was 57-43 to convict Trump, with all 48 Democrats, two independents and seven Republicans finding Trump guilty.
Seventeen Republican senators would’ve had to vote to convict Trump, an unlikely outcome from the beginning. In a Jan. 25 vote led by Sen. Rand Paul on whether the impeachment trial of an ex president is unconstitutional, just five Republicans voted in favor of a trial. The first day of the impeachment trial, earlier this week, saw a similar vote, during which six Republicans voted with Democrats to continue the proceeding.
On Saturday, the Republicans who voted alongside Democratic senators to convict Trump were Sens. Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey, Bill Cassidy and Richard Burr.
