05 February 2020 - Trump acquitted of impeachment charges
Impeachment Trial Updates: Senate Acquits Trump, Ending Historic Trial
Peter Baker (The New York Times, 06/02/2020)
The Senate acquitted President Trump of charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress, as Republicans turned back an election-year attempt by House Democrats to remove him from office for pressuring a foreign power to incriminate his political rivals.
The tally for conviction fell far below the 67-vote threshold necessary for removal and neither article of impeachment garnered even a simple majority. The first article, abuse of power, was rejected 48 to 52, and the second, obstruction of Congress, was defeated 47 to 53. Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, was the only member to break with his party, voting to remove Mr. Trump from office.
Trump acquitted on impeachment charges, ending gravest threat to his presidency
Kyle Cheney, Andrew Desiderio and John Bresnahan (Politico, 05/02/2020)
The Senate acquitted President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment, rejecting the House’s charges that he should be removed from office for abusing his power and obstructing the congressional investigation into his conduct.
The vote capped a frenetic four-month push by House Democrats to investigate and impeach Trump for allegedly withholding U.S. military aid from Ukraine to pressure its leaders to investigate his Democratic rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. The impeachment articles also charged Trump with obstructing the House’s investigation into the matter.
What Trump’s Acquittal Means for the Rule of Law
Dan McLaughlin (National Review, 05/02/2020)
In the final Senate's impeachment vote, only one Senate Republican, Mitt Romney, crossed party lines to vote to remove Donald Trump from office. No Senate Democrat bucked party-line discipline to vote for Trump’s acquittal. This followed last Friday’s 51–49 vote to conclude the trial on the basis of the evidence heard in the House, without live witness testimony. Only two Republicans (Romney and Susan Collins), and no Democrats, crossed party lines in that vote.
There has been a great deal of hand-wringing about what it means that Senate Republicans kept enough of a united front to dispose of the charges against Trump without even a full trial. In fact, acquittal is a reasonable political judgment by Republican senators that reflects the preexisting standards for presidential impeachments, rather than a change to them.
Trump found not guilty by a jury of his mates
(06/02/2020, The Daily Mash)
The president, who withdrew state aid from the Ukraine for not investigating his Democratic opponents, was luckily cleared of the entirely proven charges by Republican senators who support him.
Senator John Boozman of Arkansas said: “We, the president’s close political allies who depend on him to remain in power, have considered the evidence and found him to be on our side.
“We did not allow the calling of any witnesses, because they would only have got in the way of our overwhelming support for this great man.
“We did retire to consider the charges, but we just sat around saying ‘High-five if you love Trump,’ then high-fiving.
Trump's State of the Union address: five key takeaways
Lauren Gambino (The Guardian, 05/02/2020)
Donald Trump delivered his third and potentially last formal State of the Union address from the well of the House chamber where he was impeached on the eve of his likely acquittal by a deeply divided Senate. The 78-minute speech sought to look past impeachment to his re-election in November. He touted his accomplishments, claiming a strong economy, the killing of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani and the passage of a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill.
But the mood was fraught on the eve of his acquittal, which is expected to take place on Wednesday as Republican loyalists stand by him. Few Democrats stood to clap for the president as Republicans chanted “four more years”.