The U.S. Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump, Sunday, for inciting the infamous insurrection at the Capitol Building on January 6th. In order to impeach, two-thirds of the Senate needed to vote in favor, but the final vote was 57-43. Seven Republicans voted for impeachment.
Sen. Mitch McConnell explained that, had Trump still been in office, he would have "carefully considered" impeachment. He added:
President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen unless the statute of limitations is run, still liable for everything he did while in office. Didn't get away with anything yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one.
The seven Republicans who voted against the former President included Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Trump described the trial a "the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country," in a statement following the final decision:
This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago.
[Via]
