The United States Senate on Saturday acquitted Donald Trump of the charge of incitement to insurrection for the assault on the Capitol that a mob of his followers carried out on January 6 in order to boycott the confirmation of Joe Biden's electoral victory .
57 of the 100 members of the upper house (all 50 Democrats and seven Republicans) voted the guilty verdict, but fell short of the two-thirds majority (67) required for conviction.
43 Republicans voted against.
Never has an
impeachment
trial
garnered so much support from members of the defendant's party.
This process leaves the figure of Trump sentenced for history and exhibits the fracture that he has created in the Republican party.
The trial for the second
impeachment
of Donald Trump reached its final stretch this Saturday with unforeseen twists of the script.
The public statement of a Republican congresswoman on Friday night, detrimental to the former president, changed the pace of the Democratic impeachment, which asked to call her to testify, which was going to delay the outcome.
They finally agreed to include their statement as evidence and avoid the subpoena.
The parties then went on to present their final arguments in the Senate and the vote on the verdict was expected throughout the day.
Trump is accused of inciting insurrection for the assault on the Capitol that a mob of his followers carried out on January 6 in order to boycott the confirmation of Joe Biden's electoral victory.
The Republican retained enough support to be acquitted, but the process has evidenced the erosion of his figure for his party and for history.
"Trump must be condemned for the safety of our people and our democracy," emphasized Democrat Jamie Raskin, leader of the so-called
impeachment
managers
, the group of congressmen from the House of Representatives to act as prosecutors in the trial that is taking place. in the Senate.
Republicans argue that
impeachment
does not make sense, beyond Trump's responsibility in the assault, since it is a mechanism designed for presidents and he is no longer in the White House.
The prosecution emphasizes, however, that it is necessary to enable him to prevent him from taking up any position in the future, and warns that leaving his behavior unpunished sets a dangerous precedent for any government.
The trial, which began last Tuesday, has thoroughly addressed the violent attack on January 6 and the fiery words with which Trump encouraged them that same day, but the fourth
impeachment
in the history of the United States judges its president for More than his role in those hours, he judges him for having torpedoed the peaceful transition of power and having tried to violate the will that the Americans expressed at the polls in the presidential elections of November 3.
For months, the Republican agitated the hoax of fraud, dismissed by the courts, pressured legislators not to recognize Biden and encouraged civil mobilization.
On the day that Congress was to certify the victory of the Democrat, after a speech in which he encouraged them to "fight like hell," violence broke out.
Five people died.
"Trump deliberately betrayed us," said Congressman David Cicilline, another of the prosecutors.
Democrats have put the accent on their behavior while the siege took place to try to show that Trump was aware of what his harangues had caused and blessed them.
In other words, the main argument of the defense is not valid, which is that the republican's words did not suppose a literal call to violence or the commission of crimes, but rather form part of a “habitual political rhetoric” protected by the law. First Amendment of the Constitution, which enshrines freedom of expression.
This is the angle of the trial that went red-hot Friday night and sparked the round trip on the subpoena of witnesses.
On Friday, Jaime Herrera Beutler, who is one of the Republicans who voted in favor of
impeachment
in the House of Representatives (preliminary phase of the procedure), confirmed to the media in writing that the Republican leader of that House, Kevin McCarthy, He had told him about a conversation between him and Trump in the middle of the assault, that January 6, in which the president had sided with the vandals.
According to the congresswoman, McCarthy told her that he had called Trump to ask him to encourage his followers to stop the insurrection and that he replied: "Well, it seems they are more upset with the election than you."
The former president was at that time furious with his party colleagues who did not support him in his hoaxes about electoral fraud and wanted to go ahead with Biden's certification.
When Trump learned of the attack on Congress and how he reacted to it are the elements that also focused the trial session on Friday afternoon, since, for the indictment, they constitute strong evidence of the possible collusion of the then president of the United States with the attackers of Congress.
With the matter on the table, Raskin claimed this Saturday the opportunity to subpoena Herrera Beutler.
The Senate approved it with a 55-45 majority, as five Republican senators joined 50 Democrats in this endeavor.
These are the four critics of Trump who are expected to vote to condemn him (Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Ben Sasse) and one of the former president's allies, Linsey Graham.
Hours later, however, they reached an agreement to avoid it.
No number for a conviction
The guilty verdict seemed difficult.
This requires the support of 67 of the 100 senators, who serve on the jury, which means that 17 Republicans should join the Democrats in convicting the former president.
Two preliminary votes, on previous aspects, indicate that the accounts do not come out.
The leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, informed his party colleagues this Saturday morning that he would vote on the exoneration in what he defined as "very tight."
McConnell had blamed Trump for the assault, but in the final vote he hides in the fact that the tycoon is no longer president and, if he has committed a crime, he can be prosecuted in ordinary justice.
"The Constitution makes it perfectly clear that the criminal conduct of a president can be prosecuted once he leaves office," he said in his letter.