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LAST UPDATE | 13 Feb 2021
US SENATORS HAVE voted to acquit Donald Trump of inciting the deadly riot at the US Capitol last month in which five people lost their lives.
Just seven Republicans and all 50 Democratic members of the chamber voted to convict the former US President.
A two-thirds majority would have been needed to convict – meaning at least 17 Republicans would have had to join with the Democrats.
As the trial began earlier this week a conviction was never considered a serious prospect.
The GOP leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, indicated earlier that he would not vote to convict – putting paid to any lingering chance of a guilty verdict.
The vote followed closing arguments from the prosecution and defence – but earlier on proceedings were interrupted for several hours after House prosecutors, in a surprise move, said they wanted to call witnesses at the trial.
Lead Democratic prosecutor Jamie Raskin of Maryland asked for a deposition of Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler over fresh information she had put forward.
Herrera Beutler had widely shared a conversation she had with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump’s actions on January 6 as a mob was rioting at the US Capitol.
In a statement last night she said McCarthy had told her he called Trump as the riot was taking place to plead with him to tell his supporters to stand down.
“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump told McCarthy, according to Herrera Beutler.
Raskin said it was necessary information for determining Trump’s role in inciting the deadly riot.
Instead of calling witnesses, the House impeachment managers and Trump’s defence team agreed to admit into the record the statement by Herrera Beutler about the phone call.
Trump’s attorney Michael van der Veen baulked at the request to call a witness, saying he would then call 100 witnesses, and that it was not necessary.
Reaction
Responding to the result Democrat leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer said he wanted to salute the “Republican patriots” who did “the right thing” today.
The events of 6 January, he said, would “live on in infamy”.
Mitch McConnell, speaking next, said Trump had committed a “disgraceful dereliction of duty” by not intervening as the riot raged.
“There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically, and morally, responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell added.
McConnell voted ‘not guilty’ in the vote and insisted in his speech tonight that he did not believe the Senate had jurisdiction to convict Trump as a former President cannot be tried in the chamber.
He finished his contributon by saying Trump was”still liable for everything he did in office” in the criminal justice system, adding “he didn’t get away with anything yet”.
In his own statement the former President thanked his legal team and the senators who had voted to clear him, calling the trial “another phase of the greatest witch-hunt in the history of our country”.
The statement added: “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead, I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it.”
Trump is the only US president to be impeached twice, and the first to face trial charges after leaving office.
If he had been convicted, senators could then have voted to bar him from holding elected office.
Today’s result means he is entitled to run for President again if he wishes.
Short trial
The nearly week-long trial delivered a grim and graphic narrative of the 6 January riot and its consequences for the US in ways that senators, most of whom fled for their own safety that day, acknowledge they are still coming to terms with.
House prosecutors had argued that Trump’s rallying cry to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell” for his presidency just as Congress was convening to certify Joe Biden’s election was part of an orchestrated pattern of violent rhetoric and false claims that unleashed the mob.
Defence lawyers countered in a short three hours on Friday that Trump’s words were not intended to incite violence and impeachment is a “witch hunt” designed to prevent him from serving in office again.
- Includes reporting by Lauren Boland and wires
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Regardless of your allegiances, the fact that a fake tweet was read out on a presidential debate is shocking.
Seanie should just go away and stop making an even bigger fool of himself, if that was possible.
Agreed. RTE need to be more careful about verifying and broadcasting communications or they shouldn’t be hosting such events.
It’s not the first time RTE have allowed misinformation to be broadcast.
Not that I’d feel sorry for him though!
Indeed, two wrongs do not make a right!
Oh no… Poor Seán Gallagher. My heart bleeds for him. Boo hoo…….
It’s not acceptable that our public funded broadcaster manufactures the news is it? – no matter who its aimed at. Next thing they will be telling us things like the economy is on track and all this austerity is working.
Is he honestly complaining about the fact that he was found out as the crooked Fianna Fail toss pot that he is?? Anyone connected to that bent organisation should think twice before raising their heads above the parapet again!! Oh that money was just resting in my bank account…..
Mine too !
and as my mother would say “and so do my piles”
Wouldnt you think the SG team would shut up and go away. He would have been able to deal with the unexpected if he hadnt been so economical with the truth earlier…lesson there Sean if you dont tell the truth to begin with you have to be able to remember what you said ..oh and dont include the word ENVELOPE
It would be great if people could stick to the issue.
It’s the credibiity of RTÉ that’s on the line here. In all fairness to them (and I don’t think RTÉ are a brilliant outfit) they at least mentioned it, believing it to be true. Would it better serve the public interest if the story had been initially suppressed? As long as the source is clearly attributed to twitter people can decide if it is credible or not. The public aren’t stupid and know that a lot of stuff on social networking is not true.
EVERYBODY above seems to ‘forget’ or to be unaware that there WAS NO CHEQUE or money or ‘ENVELOPE’ handed to or collected by Seán Gallagher.
RTE are owned by the state (rember)
I think seany envelope Gallagher is and will do anything to claw back any decent respect,he must think the Irish public are stupid,it’s blatantly obvious thAt this big babboon is guilty,as are all the other affiliates of fianna fail,the way I and the majority of Irish public see it ,is if any so called politician wants to be taken serious,they need to publicly disown and disband fianna fail,there no way any decent educated Irish citizen would even think of voting for fianna fail,anyone associated with fianna fail,if they have any sense of respect or morals,should at least join a credible honest hardworking political or independent party,the heroes of 1916 would be sickened to see what they gave there lives up for,the likes of the low life sneakyhyprocrites,to name a few Bertie ahearn john donohue ray Burke haughey Michael Lowry and many more scum low lifes,for putting my children in a position where they dill be paying off there debts,or worse having to emigrate for what them leeches have done to Ireland and the 95percent ordinary tax paying genuine Irish citizens,I say we should have a Coup and elect our own decent goverment..
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