The Real Reason Trump Was Acquitted In Second Impeachment Trial
Former President Donald Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial on Feb. 13, 2021. The U.S. Senate voted to acquit Trump for inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, resulting in seven deaths.
According to The Washington Post, "Seven Republicans joined Democrats in a 57-43 vote in favor of conviction, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump in the Senate. Republican Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Patrick Toomey (Pa.) were the Republicans who voted with Democrats."
Only seven Republican senators voted that Trump was guilty, despite the evidence that Trump allegedly made efforts to inflame the angry mob inside the Capitol. One crucial part of the trial was evidence that House Managers provided showing Trump sent an angry tweet about then-Vice President Mike Pence, which may have put him and his family in more danger. Keep scrolling to learn the real reason Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial.
Why can't Senate Republicans quit Donald Trump?
The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump was a dramatic moment in American history. The U.S. Senate trial acquitted Trump and many are confused about why Republicans can't seem to quit Trump. It appears that the Republican senators let Trump off on a technicality, choosing not to convict him because he is no longer the sitting president.
The New York Times reported that the impeachment trial only lasted five days because senators did not want to engage in a long courtroom drama about the former president. According to The New York Times, the trial was speedy because "Mr. Trump's allies made clear before it even began that they were not prepared to hold him responsible."
After the impeachment verdict, even Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell said that the House Managers made their case against the former leader, even though he voted to acquit the former president.
Supreme Court attorney Neal Katyal weighed in on McConnell's post-trial comment. Katyal tweeted, "Wow. I didn't expect this: McConnell calling Trump 'disgraceful dereliction of duty,' says Trump lied to the American people. 'Practically and morally responsible for provoking the events [of 1/6. No question about it.'"
Donald Trump got help from Mitch McConnell
Donald Trump was able to skate by on the impeachment charges, thanks to a little help from Sen. Mitch McConnell. The Senate Republican leader gave Senators a way to acquit Trump on the technicality that he is no longer the president of the United States. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House of Representatives voted to impeach then President Trump, but the impeachment process was stopped by McConnell, who did not not allow the Senate trial to go forward until after Joe Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20, 2021.
The Washington Post outlined how Senate Majority Leader McConnell stopped the impeachment trial until after Trump left office. McConnell's political move gave 43 Republican Senators cover to acquit Trump, due to the fact is no longer in office, rather than acquitting him for inciting the violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol, which was indefensible.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called out McConnell after the impeachment verdict. Pelosi said, "For him to get up there and make this indictment against the president and then say, 'but I can't vote for it because it's after the fact.' The fact that he established! The fact that he established that it could not be delivered after the inauguration."
Senators are apparently afraid of Donald Trump and his supporters
Apparently, the Republicans are afraid of going against Donald Trump and his followers. According to CNN, "They think the big reason they have stayed with Trump through impeachment is because they're scared of him.There's good reason to be worried about going against Trump, given how popular he is among the Republican base."
Republican Sen. Jerry Moran voted to acquit the former president for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack. His statement shows that Mitch McConnell creating a technicality helped Republicans. Moran's statement after the impeachment verdict begins, "The violence at the United States Capitol on January 6 was an attempt to subvert democracy, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms."
Moran continues on why the attack was terrible, but he wraps up his statement, saying, "Because former President Trump is no longer in office, I voted to acquit. Establishing the precedent that the Senate has jurisdiction to convict a former president would cause extreme damage to our country and the future of the presidency."