Impeachment: Trump acquitted of both charges - he celebrates with a curious video

Donald Trump escapes impeachment. The US president was acquitted on both charges - and is celebrating with a curious video.

• Official impeachment proceedings have been underway against US President Donald Trump since January 16, 2020.
• However, the Democrats suffered a major setback on Friday (January 31).
• Donald Trump was acquitted on Wednesday (February 5). (You can find all previous information here).

Update of February 6, 6:07 am: After months of investigations and three weeks of trial, everything went very quickly in the end: The Senate cleared Donald Trump of the allegations of impeachment . And the US president reacted quickly - on Twitter, of course. He posted a short video for his election campaign. This shows: Trump on a counterfeit Times cover with advertising signs for his election campaign. Starting with the election year 2024, 2028, 2032 until ... to infinity. His message: Nobody can do anything to me.

pic.twitter.com/JDS4zUXXJG

The Democrats described the verdict as "worthless" because the Republicans had not admitted any witnesses. The acquittal is a political and not a legal one, it said. Some Republicans admitted what Trump had done in the Ukraine affair was “inappropriate”. Removing him from office went too far for most people. Only Mitt Romney voted for impeachment. Manipulating an election is perhaps the most serious and "most destructive breach of an oath of office I can imagine," the Republican said. Trump's son Donald Trump junior then called for Romney's exclusion from the party.

Trump himself celebrated the "victory" in the "impeachment dizziness" and his spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham also spoke of "complete rehabilitation and relief". On Thursday (6 p.m. CET), Trump wants to make a statement in the White House.

Impeachment procedure: Trump found "not guilty"

Update from February 5, 10:33 pm: In the second trial, too, the majority voted “not guilty”. Donald Trump has now been cleared of both allegations.

Update of February 5, 10:26 pm: Now the MPs vote on the item "Obstruction of the investigation in Congress". If the US president is also exonerated here, the process would end with a complete acquittal for Trump.

Senate votes on Trump's impeachment - first result is certain

Update of February 5, 10:19 p.m .: After the questioning of all deputies it is clear : 48 deputies voted guilty, 52 votes innocent at the first charge. In the first case, Trump is acquitted. The second voting point now follows.

Update from February 5, 11:11 pm: Now every member of parliament is called individually and may vote “guilty” or “not guilty”. At the moment there is a vote on the item: “Abuse of power”. Reminder: there are 100 senators. Two thirds of the majority are required for the conviction or removal. According to experts, this will not be the case.

Update from February 5, 10:09 pm: Several American news channels stream the impeachment vote on YouTube.

Update of February 5, 10:00 p.m .: At this moment the Trump impeachment session begins.

Update of February 5, 9:16 p.m .: At 10 p.m. (CET), the impeachment is to be voted on. The U.S. Senate decides on Donald Trump's future. As the only Republican, only US Senator Mitt Romney has decided to vote Trump for each impeachment. The rest of the US President's party will probably vote against.

Romney says, according to the AFP agency: “The president is guilty of a shocking abuse of public trust. With my vote I will tell my children and their children that I have done my duty to the best of my ability ”. Romney calls this decision the "hardest of his life".

Update, February 5, 6:53 p.m .: How exactly does an impeachment procedure work? And which former US presidents have had to face the charges so far? Everything worth knowing about the impeachment process.

Update, February 5, 12:20 p.m .: What is the situation before the final in the impeachment procedure against Donald Trump? You can get an overview in this article at Merkur.de *.

Update, February 5, 7:01 am: Just four months after the start of the investigation into the Ukraine affair , the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump are about to be completed: the Senate will most likely approve it on Wednesday (from 10:00 p.m. CET) with a majority of Republicans acquit. Rejecting the charges of the Democratic-controlled House would be a triumph for Trump - not least in view of the November presidential election in which he is running for a second term. In his speech on the state of the nation on Tuesday evening (local time), Trump never mentioned the impeachment.

Update, February 4, 7:34 p.m .: After about three weeks, impeachment proceedings against incumbent US President Donald Trump are expected to produce a result. The U.S. Senate announced a decision for Wednesday, February 5, 10:00 p.m. Central European Time. An acquittal is expected that Trump can rely on a strong republican majority in the Senate.

Impeachment: Wednesday could be a big day for Trump

Update, February 3, 9:45 pm: Prosecutors and defense lawyers once again present their arguments at the end of the impeachment procedure - even if the outcome seems to be certain. The prosecutors again urged the Senate to hold the US president responsible for the abuse of power. Democrat Adam Schiff, head of the indictment team, spoke again of the "overwhelming evidence" against Trump . The defenders dismissed all allegations.

Democratic MP Val Demings from the Prosecutor team warned that Trump continued to pose a threat to US democracy - the Constitution and the upcoming presidential election in November *. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said it was up to the senators to see whether Trump could continue with his machinations and influence the next election.

At the closing speeches on Monday in the Senate, both sides repeated their well-known argument. Trump's defense lawyers once again rejected the Democrats' allegations and called on the senators to acquit the president. Mike Purpura, one of the President's legal advisers and a member of the defense team, said the charges against Trump were inadequate and doomed to fail.

Impeachment: Wednesday could be a big day for Trump - Democrats will probably fail

Update, February 3, 6:15 p.m .: Impeachment of Donald Trump is now considered to be virtually impossible - even if the final votes on the charges are only scheduled for Wednesday ( February 5). The expected end of the impeachment process is already being discussed in the international media .

"The Democrats thought that with the ' impeachment ' they had an effective weapon in the election campaign against Donald Trump, " writes the conservative Parisian newspaper Le Figaro . Now, however, the only weapon they can use is to nominate a candidate, Trump in the US elections can hit in November.

The London Guardian read on Monday (3.2.) That Trump will "stand up for justice" on Wednesday. He would be able to continue his "Campaign of Charges and Hostilities" undisturbed. The Swiss medium Neue Züricher Zeitung ( NZZ ) writes that the consequences of the impeachment process for the presidential election in November cannot be foreseen. "The surveys paint a solid picture from which each party can make light or gloomy forecasts," continues the NZZ .

Impeachment against Trump: big day for the US president - final phase starts

Update 10:55 p.m .: The impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump go into the final phase on Monday with the final plea of ​​indictment and defense . Democratic prosecutors and Trump's lawyers each have two hours to speak. The Senate blocked new testimony with the majority of Trump's Republicans on Friday, paving the way for a quick end to the impeachment process. The final votes on the charges are scheduled for Wednesday. Trump will also deliver his third State of the Union address just hours earlier, Tuesday evening after Washington time.

Trump's impeachment is ruled out . This would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate, but the Republicans stand firmly behind the president. Democrats accuse Trump of abuse of office and congressional handicap in Ukraine affair.

Trump initially gave up his notorious tweets on the subject on Sunday - he merely referred to his TV appearance on the edge of the Super Bowl.

My @SuperBowl Interview at 3:30 PM on @foxnetworks. Enjoy!

Update 12:48: The historic impeachment process against US President Donald Trump is nearing completion - and there is no doubt about the outcome: next Wednesday the US Senate will reject Trump's impeachment. The last steps at a glance:

The Senate will meet again on Monday at 11:00 a.m. (local time; 5:00 p.m. CET) as an impeachment court. The prosecution and defense then each have two hours to make their final statements.

The senators will continue on Tuesday. In the evening, Trump has his say in the US Congress: The President delivers his annual speech on the state of the nation in the House of Representatives.

The Senate will ultimately meet on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. CET) to separately vote on the two charges against Trump.

Update of February 2, 2020, 9:15 a.m .: According to media reports, Donald Trump has declared 24 e-mails related to his Ukraine affair classified, thanks to his privileges as US President. The federal agency Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has "edited" parts of the emails, high-ranking OMB employee Heather Walsh reportedly said in a court document. It is a reaction to a request for access to the documents within the framework of freedom of information.

In the emails, US media says Trump's threat of withholding $ 391 million in military aid to Ukraine already approved by Congress should not be used by the Ukrainian authorities against his democratic adversary Joe Biden and his son Investigate Hunter.

The emails withheld are communications "by the president, vice president, or direct advisors to the president regarding the presidential decision-making process regarding the scope, duration, and purpose of withholding military assistance to Ukraine," the US media quoted Walsh. Publication of these documents would run the risk of "harming the quality of the information and advice given to the President".

Impeachment against Trump: decision on Wednesday - before that, he ensures poll hammer

Update at 19:23: Again there is good news for Donald Trump . The US President currently polls 44.6 percent , reports the AFP news agency, citing the RealClearPolitics website. This makes Trump as popular with voters as when he took office in 2017. The president has already commented on the latest poll results on Twitter. "Trump's poll ratings are the highest since the election, despite the ongoing witch hunts, " he wrote on Saturday on the social network. His campaign events were “attended by tens of thousands of people”.

Trump poll numbers are the highest since election, despite constant phony Witch Hunts! Tens of thousands of people attending rallies (which the Fake News never mentions) to see “The Greatest Show On Earth”. Fun because USA is WINNING AGAIN! https://t.co/L14hDtx6cT

With this statement, Trump assessed his own election opportunities shortly before the opening of the presidential primaries of the opposition Democrats. The first Democratic vote is scheduled for Monday in Iowa .

Update from February 1, 2020: Senate Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer calls the Senate decision in the impeachment process against Donald Trump not to summon witnesses a "tragedy". According to Schumer, the day will long be remembered when the Senate turned away from the truth and opted for a "sham process". This acquittal has no value in a trial without a witness.

House representative Nancy Pelosi also said the Republicans' vote against the summonsing of witnesses made them "accomplices in covering up the president".

Impeachment: Donald Trump could already have reason to cheer on Wednesday

Munich - Donald Trump can breathe a sigh of relief. The US president does not have to fear impeachment, since the Senate jumped to his side with his decision not to summon witnesses in the impeachment process. It therefore seems very likely that the very same Senate that takes on the role of a court in impeachment proceedings will clear Trump of all allegations on Wednesday.

Impeachment: Democrats demand hearing from Bolton - he could have burdened Trump heavily

The Democrats' attempt to lift Trump out of office for abuse of power and interference with the investigation appears to have failed. Because of the Republican majority in the Senate , the US President can be almost certain of an acquittal on Wednesday. 67 senators would have to vote for at least one of the two charges - that would take 20 Republicans to side with the Democrats. This scenario seems more than unlikely.

Donald Trump had been under extreme pressure before, as the Democrats asked for subpoena witnesses from the close vicinity of the 73-year-old, including former national security adviser John Bolton .

Trump probably escapes impeachment: only two Republicans sided with the Democrats

In the past few days, he had provided further information in the Ukraine affair with extracts from a book that had not yet been published. Democrats accuse Trump of urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj to investigate his democratic rival Joe Biden in an attempt to influence the American election campaign.

On Friday evening, however, the Senate finally rejected the Democrats' request with the majority of the Republicans - only the two Republican senators Susan Collins and Mitt Romney sided with the Democrats and called for witnesses to be heard - but this was not enough for a majority.

Donald Trump has been President of the United States since January 2017. This makes the New Yorker one of the most powerful people in the world. But how rich is Donald Trump?

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Rubric list picture: © AFP / NICHOLAS KAMM