Trump is acquitted by the Senate in a second impeachment trial; what happens now
Trump is unlikely to be convicted in the Senate, as 17 Republican senators would need to vote against him
Former US President Donald Trump was again acquitted by the Senate on Saturday (2/13) in his second impeachment trial.
After 43 senators voted "not guilty", it became clear that the minimum margin of 67 votes (two-thirds of the House) would not be reached to convict the former president, accused of inciting an insurrection against the US Capitol on January 6, when lawmakers were meeting to certify President Joe Biden's victory. Trump denies it. The invasion left five dead.
In total, 57 senators voted to condemn the former president, including seven Republicans. This is the biggest bipartisan support for the sentencing of a president in all cases in American history - thus Trump becomes the president who received the most pro-sentencing votes within his own party.
Impeachment charges are political, not criminal. An acquittal basically means that the Senate has found no cause for the removal of the president - in the case of Trump, who no longer occupies the White House, the practical effect of a conviction could be the loss of political rights. n a statement issued after the trial ended, Trump spokesmen said the case was a "witch hunt". Not to mention the events of January 6, the statement says that "our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement Make America Great Again is just beginning."
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said: "January 6 will live like the day of infamy in the US. Failure to condemn Donald Trump will live like a vote of infamy in the history of the US Senate."
What happens now?
Obviously, it is an important victory for Trump: in addition to maintaining his eligibility, indications so far are that his popular support base remains largely unchanged. However, as BBC US correspondent Anthony Zurcher explains, Trump is still charred by the episode.
One of the most memorable moments of the trial was the presentation of hitherto unpublished videos showing supporters of the former president - some wearing the famous Make America Great Again cap - invading the US Congress. "These images will forever be associated with Trumpism", analyzes Zurcher. "All the rallies he does from now on will evoke memories of that event. It may not cost him among Republicans, but independent and moderate voters are unlikely to forget."
In the case of President Joe Biden, his government's calculation was to keep some distance from Trump's trial. The fact that a verdict was released in a few days - and therefore, without dominating the political and legislative agenda for a long time - is considered beneficial for the current administration.
The Senate Session
Before the vote and the prosecution and defense presented their final arguments, there was a discussion in the Senate as to whether witnesses should be heard.
Senators wanted to hear Republican MP Jaime Herrera Beutler, who on Friday (12/2) caught the attention of lawmakers with a statement. According to Beutler, another Republican congressman, Kevin McCarthy, told him that in a phone call between him and Trump that January 6, the former president showed support for the ongoing attack against the Capitol.
Senators even voted in favor of calling witnesses, but Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, in charge of managing impeachment procedures, ended up reaching an agreement with Trump's defense lawyers, to only submit Beutler's testimony as evidence in the process .
Tump's acquittal was already taken for granted, as it was anticipated that there would be insufficient support among Republicans for a conviction.
Trump accused of inciting insurrection that invaded the Capitol on January 6 and left 5 people dead
This was Trump's second impeachment trial. Both times, the Chamber approved his impeachment, making him the first president to go through a similar process twice.
What the prosecution said
Earlier this week, deputies tasked with denouncing Trump retraced the steps of the Republican and his allies that led to what they described as the "predictable" outcome of the demonstration: the violent takeover of the Capitol by Trump protesters, which resulted in the death of 5 people.
Images displayed during the trial showed how the protesters got close to lawmakers and even Vice President Mike Pence
They went back months to show how Trump had already established in the presidential campaign the narrative that he would only lose to Biden if the elections were stolen.
According to the prosecution, after the elections, Trump went on to accuse his opponent of fraud, filing dozens of lawsuits in eight states to contest the result. Although he did not win the lawsuits, the actions gave strength to the supporters, who said they were wronged and took part in protests in which they demanded a review of the result, according to the accusation.
In this climate, they were called by the American president to a large demonstration in the federal capital, on the day of the certification of votes by the Electoral College. "Donald Trump has for many months cultivated violence, praised it, and then, when he saw the violence his supporters were capable of, he channeled it into his big, wild and historic event," said Stacey Plaskett, legislative delegate for American Virgin Islands (kind of representative but without voting rights) that is part of the prosecution team.
The prosecution also showed videos of that January 6, Trump rally, in which his supporters shouted "invade the Capitol" while Trump was speaking, and the insurrection itself, showing how the invaders got close to lawmakers and even Vice President Mike Pence. Images also showed protesters shouting for Mayor Nancy Pelosi when they entered the building.
Trump lawyers used less than 4 hours out of 16 available, speeding up the trial
Trump's defense
Trump's lawyers presented their defense on Friday (12/2) in just under four hours of the 16 they had available, trying to speed up the trial.
They said the accusation was a "monstrous lie" and that it was a "politically motivated hunt" by Democrats.
"To say that the president somehow wished or encouraged violent or outlawed behavior is an absurd and monstrous lie," said lawyer Michael van der Veen. "In fact, the first two messages the president sent via Twitter as soon as the foray into the Capitol started were 'Stay peaceful' and 'No violence because we are the party of law and order'," he argued.
According to him, when Trump said in his January 6 speech that his supporters "fight like never before," he was just giving a political speech.
In addition, Trump had a legal right to question the election results, he said.
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