This weekend, Former President Trump faced his second impeachment trial that was in regards to the insurrection in January. Ultimately, it ended with seven Republicans joining Democrats in the vote to convict Trump. However, the 57 “guilty” and 43 “not guilty” tally fell short of the two-thirds supermajority needed.
Tennessee Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty each voted “not guilty”, while calling into question the “constitutionality” of the trial. Read their statements below.
The House Impeachment Managers launched an unconstitutional show trial to humiliate the former President and his supporters. The Impeachment Managers have accomplished nothing but to extend the pain of the American people. They achieved one thing – Donald J. Trump’s acquittal.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) February 13, 2021
This impeachment charade is a waste of time, money and does NOTHING to help American families.
— Bill Hagerty (@BillHagertyTN) February 12, 2021
President Joe Biden issued a statement following the acquittal:
“The Senate vote followed the bipartisan vote to impeach him by the House of Representatives. While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute. Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a ‘disgraceful dereliction of duty’ and ‘practically and morally responsible for provoking’ the violence unleashed on the Capitol.”
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The impeachment trial for former president Donald J. Trump began Tuesday morning.
Trump became the first-ever president to be impeached twice when the House of Representatives voted on Jan. 13 to charge him for “incitement of insurrection”. The vote passed 232-197.
Now, the trial has moved to the Senate, where senators will vote on whether to convict Trump. A two-thirds vote would be needed to convict, meaning that 17 Republicans would have to vote across party lines.
Traditionally, the impeached official would be removed from office if convicted. Since Trump is the first president to be tried after leaving office, many speculate that he could be barred from holding future public offices if convicted.
The main concern raised in the trial was regarding the constitutionality of impeaching a public official who is no longer in office.
Representative Jamie Raskin, Lead Impeachment Manager, opened the trial by defending the constitutionality. He showed a 13-minute-long video recounting the insurrection at the capitol. It showed both Trump’s speech and the mob as the day unfolded, a reminder of the fear on Jan 6.
“If that’s not an impeachable offense, then I don’t know what is,” Raskin stated. Regarding the constitutionality of the trial, he claimed the ability to impeach a president in her or his last few weeks is the most important “because that’s when elections get attacked.”
Trump’s lawyers, on the other hand, maintained that impeachment after leaving office is unconstitutional. They claimed that Democrats were set in “seeking to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene.”
Shortly after 5 p.m. EST Tuesday, the Senate voted 56-44 that the impeachment trial is constitutional. Only six Republicans voted to proceed.
Feb. 10 and 11 will see arguments for convicting Trump. Friday and Saturday will allow Trump’s lawyers to respond with their defense.
Previous reporting from Schyler Jones
Photo Via Getty Images