Former President Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of a charge of “inciting an insurrection” by a vote in the United States Senate.
It was an unprecedented and unconstitutional effort by Congressional Democrats and a handful of liberal Republicans who opposed Trump, the 45th president of the United States, and his policies.
In a statement, Trump said. “My deepest thanks as well to all of the United States Senators and Members of Congress who stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.
“Our cherished Constitutional Republic was founded on the impartial rule of law, the indispensable safeguard for our liberties, our rights and our freedoms.
“It is a sad commentary on our times that one political party in America is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree. I always have, and always will, be a champion for the unwavering rule of law, the heroes of law enforcement, and the right of Americans to peacefully and honorably debate the issues of the day without malice and without hate.”
Trump, who was attacked by the Democrats, the news media and elitist Republicans even before he was inaugurated, called his opposition “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,” Trump said.
Trump vowed to continue his “patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again” and plans to reveal some ideas in the near future.
Democrats were forced to accept a 57-43 vote because it failed to meet the Constitutional threshold of a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. The intent of impeachment is to remove a president from office but Democrats wanted a conviction to prevent Trump from running for president again in 2024.
Every Democrat voted in lockstep against Trump. The Republicans who voted against Trump were: Sens. 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.
The acquittal cleared Trump of the political charge. Democrats now plan to prevent him from running again with a challenge based on the 14th Amendment but that is unlikely since it also requires a two-thirds vote. The Senate has 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris being the swing vote.
Trump’s second impeachment trial lasted with just five days of arguments, making it the shortest in presidential history. The proceeding in the Democrat-controlled House did not allow Trump to call any witnesses on his behalf.
Democrats were incensed that Trump had exposed voting irregularities in key battleground states. Congress refused to investigate and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to accept cases involving appeals on lower court decisions.