Name: Trump acquitted in second impeachment trial as 7 Republicans vote guilty
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Trump acquitted in second impeachment trial as 7 Republicans vote guilty

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FollowVoting largely along party lines, the Senate finds the former president not guilty on the charge of inciting an insurrection.Corinne ReichertSenior WriterCorinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently oversees the CNET breaking news desk for the West Coast. Corinne covers everything from phones, social media and security to movies, politics, 5G and pop culture. In her spare time, she watches soccer games, F1 races and Disney movies.3 min readThe US Senate voted Saturday to &nbsp;on an impeachment charge of incitement of insurrection, bringing&nbsp;&nbsp;to a close. The vote came after a five-day proceeding in which arguments focused on whether Trump incited the&nbsp;&nbsp;on Jan. 6, and whether it's constitutional to conduct an impeachment trial of a former president who's now a private citizen. The acquittal, largely along party lines, was expected. Though the Senate is split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris a potential tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate, the impeachment trial required a two-thirds supermajority for a conviction, meaning 17 Republican senators would've had to break with Trump. In the end, the vote was 57-43 to convict, with all 48 Democrats, two independents and seven Republicans finding Trump guilty. The Republicans who voted alongside Democratic senators to convict Trump were Sens. Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey, Bill Cassidy and Richard Burr. "It was the most bipartisan conviction we've ever seen in the Senate for a presidential impeachment," Rep. Jamie Raskin, lead impeachment trial manager, said Saturday afternoon. Read more: A conviction was an unlikely outcome from the beginning. In a Jan. 25 vote led by Sen. Rand Paul on whether the impeachment trial of an ex-president is unconstitutional, just five Republicans voted in favor of a trial. The first day of the impeachment trial, earlier this week, saw a similar vote, during which only six Republicans voted with Democrats to continue the proceeding. Following Saturday's acquittal, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, decried the result, saying &nbsp; More surprising was a speech from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, who despite voting not guilty said . McConnell said he voted to acquit because he believes the Senate doesn't hold the power under the Constitution to convict a former president. In a statement after the verdict, Trump accused Democrats of transforming "justice into a tool of political vengeance" and defended his record. "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 without malice and without hate," he said.During the trial, prosecutors relied on&nbsp;&nbsp;showing the Capitol riot, as well as video and audio clips and social media posts showing Trump repeatedly calling on supporters to march on the Capitol building on Jan. 6 and in the days and months leading up to that date. House impeachment managers additionally showed tweets in which Trump lauded violent actions by his supporters in the lead-up to the 2020 election, as well as later tweets in which he appeared to continue stoking the violence during the insurrection. Trump, the House impeachment managers said, "did nothing" to protect the lawmakers who were in danger during the riot.Trump's defense team used more dispassionate constitutional and legal arguments to argue that the trial was a violation of the former president's First Amendment rights, and they claimed Trump's rally speech was taken out of context, saying Democratic leaders have used similar language in the past in calling on their own supporters to "fight." The trial began Feb. 9, with Trump facing a single impeachment article for&nbsp;&nbsp;regarding the&nbsp;, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. In a speech that day in front of the White House, Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol building, where lawmakers were beginning the process of confirming Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Biden was confirmed after the riot and&nbsp;.&nbsp; Though the Senate could next consider a bipartisan&nbsp;, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scoffed at that option during a posttrial press conference, calling censure "a slap in the face of the Constitution." "We censure people for using stationery for the wrong purpose," Pelosi said. "We don't censure people for inciting insurrection that kills people in the Capitol."Get the CNET Now newsletterSpice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. Delivered on weekdays.

FollowVoting largely along party lines, the Senate finds the former president not guilty on the charge of inciting an insurrection.Corinne ReichertSenior WriterCorinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently oversees the CNET breaking news desk for the West Coast. Corinne covers everything from phones, social media and security to movies, politics, 5G and pop culture. In her spare time, she watches soccer games, F1 races and Disney movies.3 min readThe US Senate voted Saturday to &nbsp;on an...

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Corinne Reichert

CNET, formerly Computer Network, is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. Founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition in 2008.

Trump acquitted in second impeachment trial as 7 Republicans vote guilty

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