President Joe Biden responded on Saturday night (February 13, US time) after the Senate voted not to impeach former President Donald Trump under a House impeachment clause, which accused him of Trump ” incited to the uprising “the intrusion into the Capitol on 6/1.
Mr Biden said the Jan. 6 incidents and the results of Trump’s impeachment trial remind us that “democracy is fragile,” according to a statement Biden issued hours after leaving the Senate. Vote to inform Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden also called on the American people to remain vigilant and to ensure that democracy is always protected.
“This sad chapter in our history reminds us that democracy is fragile. This [democracy] must always be protected. That we need to be more vigilant. This violence and extremism have no place in America. And that each of us as Americans, especially as leaders, have a duty and a responsibility to stand up for the truth and to stand up to the lies, ”Biden said.
The results of the vote showed that 57 Senators (TNS) voted to condemn Mr. Trump, while 43 TNS opposed. The Senate needs at least 67 votes to condemn former President Trump. With the above results, the president had to declare Mr. Trump acquitted.
Mr Biden said that while the final vote did not lead to Trump’s conviction, he believes “the charges are not questionable.”
“Even those who opposed the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe [he] Donald Trump is’ guilty of shamefully distracting ‘and’ of having practical responsibility and ethics for provoking ‘violence on Capitol Hill,’ Mr Biden said.
Mr McConnell voted against the charges against Trump, but still criticized the former president. The Senate Minority Leader said he believed Mr. Trump “had a moral responsibility” in the Jan.6 hack on Capitol Hill. The Kentucky senator said he voted Trump “not guilty” because he believed a former president could not be tried in the Senate.
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused many Republicans of intending to acquit Trump even before the trial begins.
“They will vote clearly [abstain] regardless of the evidence presented,” Democratic Party TNS Chris Van Hollen told reporters after the vote.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump on January 13 while he was still in office with a single impeachment clause on “incitement to insurgency”, accusing him of being behind the intrusion on Capitol Hill there. has a week.
Trump’s lawyers argued the lawsuit was unconstitutional because the former president is now a commoner and accused Democrats of selectively showing edited videos, ignoring important evidence, as Trump told his supporters on January 6 to go to the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically”.
Republican senators have pointed out that while words like “fight to the death” constitute agitation, “all political candidates in America are accused of agitation.”
Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) said Thursday, February 11: “I can assure you that the 100 TNS from this institute have been on a political podium and have spoken. We must ‘fight to the death’.”
The 43 TNS acquitted Mr. Trump as a Republican, while all Democrats voted to convict him. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in trying to accuse the former president. These seven Republicans include: Richard Burr, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey.
Former President Trump also immediately released a personal statement after the Senate vote to acquit him. Mr Trump thanked the lawyers, the lawmakers who supported him, and also condemned the conduct of Democrats in this impeachment and in the past few years and called it an attack on democracy.
“First of all, I want to thank my dedicated team of lawyers and others for working tirelessly to uphold justice and protect the truth. I also extend my sincere thanks to the United States Senators and Members of Congress, who have always proudly distinguished themselves [defending] the Constitution we all respect and the sacred principles of law at the center of our country, ”Mr. Trump.
“This is indeed a sad illustration of our time when a political party in the United States was allowed to freely defame the rule of law, defame law enforcement, promote chaos in the crowd, defend rebels and transform justice into tools of political revenge and persecution; blacklist, cancels and blocks all individuals and opinions they disapprove of, ”Trump wrote in the statement.
The 45th President of the United States also pledged “to always be a substitute rule of law, for law enforcement heroes, and for the right of Americans to debate peacefully and to be respected.” The current question without being treated with malice and hatred “.
