Washington, DC, USA —(Map)
The second impeachment trial of ex-President Donald Trump ended with him being found “not guilty”. Though 57 senators agreed that Mr. Trump was guilty, and only 43 voted not guilty, at least 67 votes were needed to convict him.
Impeachment is a special process that allows the US Congress to charge the president or other politician with a crime. In this case, Mr. Trump was charged with “inciting violence against the government of the United States”. Mr. Trump is the first president to be impeached twice, and the first to be tried after he has left office.
(Source: Screenshot [Public domain], C-Span.)
What Happened on January 6?
On January 6, Congress met to officially count the election results of the Electoral College. Mr. Trump didn’t accept that he had lost the election, and encouraged Republican lawmakers to protest the results.
As Congress was meeting, Mr. Trump spoke to a rally of his supporters. He repeated his claim that the election was stolen, and encouraged them to march on the Capitol, telling them that they would need to “fight” for their country. The mob of rioters, many carrying weapons, broke violently into the US Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to run for safety. In the violence, five people were killed and dozens were injured.
On January 13, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach Mr. Trump for his part in encouraging the rioters.
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As Congress met on January 6, Mr. Trump spoke to his supporters, claiming that the election was stolen. He told them to march on the Capitol to “fight” for their country. The rioters broke violently into the US Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to run for safety.
The case against Mr. Trump was made by nine “impeachment managers” from the House of Representatives. The managers, led by Jamie Raskin, tried to show that what happened on January 6 wasn’t an accident, but was the direct result of Mr. Trump’s words and actions over a long period of time.
The managers used many videos that had never been seen before to help make their case. The videos showed clearly how violent the situation was, and how close the danger came to members of Congress.
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The nine House “impeachment managers” (above), led by Jamie Raskin (center), tried to show that what happened on January 6 wasn’t an accident, but was the direct result of Mr. Trump’s words and actions over a long period of time.
On Friday, Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that the US Constitution doesn’t allow a president to be put on trial after leaving office. They showed videos of Democratic politicians telling supporters to “fight”. They also suggested that Mr. Trump had actually won the election.
Late information about Mr. Trump’s support for the rioters almost led the Senate to call witnesses. Instead, the information was included in the record of the trial.
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On Friday, Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that the US Constitution doesn’t allow a president to be put on trial after leaving office. They also suggested that Mr. Trump had actually won the election. Above, Michael van der Veen, one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers.
Since 44 senators had already voted against even holding the trial, the result was never really in doubt. Still, it’s the largest number of senators from more than one party to vote guilty in an impeachment trial.
Many Republicans still have concerns about Mr. Trump’s behavior. Senator Mitch McConnell, leader of the Senate Republicans, said, “There is no question” that Mr. Trump was responsible for encouraging the attack.
But Mr. McConnell says the Constitution doesn’t allow Mr. Trump to be put on trial after leaving office. Still, Mr. McConnell was in charge of the Senate when Mr. Trump was impeached in early January. He could have started the trial while Mr. Trump was still president, but chose not to.
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Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (above) agreed that Mr. Trump was responsible for encouraging the attack, but says he can’t be put on trial after leaving office. Mr. McConnell chose not to hold a trial when Mr. Trump was still in office.
The trial’s result is a big victory for Mr. Trump. In a message released after the Senate vote, Mr. Trump said that his movement “has only just begun.”
Mr. Trump’s actions have created a strong split in the Republican party. Though he’s the most popular Republican in the country, many Republicans don’t like they way he has changed the party. Some Republicans are even considering creating a new party without Mr. Trump.
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Mr. Trump’s actions have created a split in the Republican party. Though he’s the most popular Republican in the country, many Republicans don’t like they way he has changed the party. Above, several of the Republican senators who have challenged Mr. Trump.
Though the trial created a more complete picture of what happened on January 6, many questions remain. One important question is, “Could something similar happen again?”
So far, the answer appears to be yes. As long as a president is strongly supported by his or her party, there seem to be no real limits on the actions a future president could take near the end of their term.
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