Seven Republican senators voted on Saturday to convict President Trump on inciting the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
GOP Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.) broke with their party, dealing a substantial blow to Trump.
The GOP senators joined with every member of the Democratic caucus, but still fell short of the two-thirds majority — 67 votes — need to successfully find him “guilty,” the question before the Senate.
The support from Republicans is more than the GOP support the 2020 impeachment effort got, when only Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) voted for one of the articles.
With 45, and subsequently 44, GOP senators voting to say that Trump’s trial was unconstitutional, the number of GOP senators open to convicting was limited to a handful of must-watch Republicans.
Burr, who had previously said he wouldn’t run for reelection, had previously voted that the trial was unconstitutional, but voted to convict Trump on Saturday.
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Tagged: Capitol, coup, Donald Trump, Election 2020, impeachment
- Discussion
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#BREAKING: Seven GOP senators vote to convict Trump https://t.co/nAy7W2jWW5 pic.twitter.com/Ofgj7E69us
— The Hill (@thehill) February 13, 2021
This is the most bipartisan vote for a presidential impeachment conviction in our history https://t.co/DXDTkQuL8i
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) February 13, 2021
Romney: “President Trump also violated his oath of office by failing to protect the Capitol, the Vice President, and others in the Capitol.”
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021
ROMNEY becomes the first lawmaker ever to twice convict a president of his own party.https://t.co/BXpNL1PBfG
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 13, 2021
Trump is acquitted, 57-43, falling 10 votes short of conviction.
Still a historic vote, as a majority of senators deem Trump guilty on the House’s impeachment charge.
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021
BREAKING: The U.S. Senate votes 57-43 to acquit President Trump in second impeachment trial. https://t.co/0q5f3YeYjE pic.twitter.com/tLxymBXowP
— The Hill (@thehill) February 13, 2021
Actual Fox News alert I just received. pic.twitter.com/LuJAVNr6Fv
— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 13, 2021
I’m grateful for each GOP senator who made this the most bipartisan conviction vote in U.S. history. Sasse’s statement is just excellent: https://t.co/UmEa02Dzxb
— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 13, 2021
February 13, 2021U.S. Senator Ben Sasse issued the following statement regarding the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump:
“An impeachment trial is a public declaration of what a president’s oath of office means and what behavior that oath demands of presidents in the future. But here’s the sad reality: If we were talking about a Democratic president, most Republicans and most Democrats would simply swap sides. Tribalism is a hell of a drug, but our oath to the Constitution means we’re constrained to the facts. Here are the three key points to this debate:
“First, President Trump lied that he ‘won the election by a landslide.’ He lied about widespread voter fraud, spreading conspiracy theories despite losing 60 straight court challenges, many of his losses handed down by great judges he nominated. He tried to intimidate the Georgia secretary of state to ‘find votes’ and overturn that state’s election. He publicly and falsely declared that Vice President Pence could break his constitutional oath and simply declare a different outcome. The president repeated these lies when summoning his crowd — parts of which were widely known to be violent — to Capitol Hill to intimidate Vice President Pence and Congress into not fulfilling our constitutional duties. Those lies had consequences, endangering the life of the vice president and bringing us dangerously close to a bloody constitutional crisis. Each of these actions are violations of a president’s oath of office.
“Second, political violence is evil whether it happens in Portland or at the United States Capitol. Violent mobs are always repugnant. Because many on the left ignored Portland’s violence, the former president and some of his allies have now given themselves permission to ignore the violence by those supposedly on ‘their side.’ No. The answer to an ugly double standard cannot be the elimination of all standards. If we allow tribalism to repeatedly blind us against defending our institutions, we will lose them.
“Third, Congress is a weaker institution than the Founders intended, and it is likely to shrivel still smaller. A lot of Republicans talk about restoring Congress’ power from an already over-aggressive executive branch. Conservatives regularly denounce executive overreach – but we ought primarily to denounce legislative impotence. This trial is constitutional because the president abused his power while in office and the House of Representatives impeached him while he was still in office. If Congress cannot forcefully respond to an intimidation attack on Article I instigated by the head of Article II, our constitutional balance will be permanently tilted. A weak and timid Congress will increasingly submit to an emboldened and empowered presidency. That’s unacceptable. This institution needs to respect itself enough to tell the executive that some lines cannot be crossed.
“On election night 2014, I promised Nebraskans I’d always vote my conscience even if it was against the partisan stream. In my first speech here in the Senate in November 2015, I promised to speak out when a president – even of my own party – exceeds his or her powers. I cannot go back on my word, and Congress cannot lower our standards on such a grave matter, simply because it is politically convenient. I must vote to convict.”
BURR: “The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results. As Congress met to certify…the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings… pic.twitter.com/aBxhcIyo9K
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021
CASSIDY’s statement is very brief:
“Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty.”
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021
I thought he wasn't going to do it, and he did. Gotta respect that. https://t.co/zGF5FphrNa
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 13, 2021
Very glad Fox deleted this. pic.twitter.com/VxdTONQ0Hy
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) February 13, 2021
If you think you voted to acquit today for some higher purpose, you fixated on a false summit.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) February 13, 2021I'm sure a handful of GOP senators took this constitutional argument seriously. If they did, fine. But if they did, they should have been denouncing Trump the loudest. Oddly, that didn't happen. Shameful.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) February 13, 2021
Well said: https://t.co/TEYcbI3Tnk
— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 14, 2021
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