US President Joe Biden urged Americans to defend democracy after Donald Trump’s acquittal in his second impeachment trial, saying: “This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile.”
In a statement late on Saturday, Biden said the content of the prosecution against his predecessor on the Capitol riot on January 6, in which five people died, was not in dispute, and noted the seven Republicans who voted guilty.
“Even those who oppose the conviction, such as Senate McConnell minority leader, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a ‘shameful neglect of duty’ and ‘practically and morally responsible for causing’ the violence unleashed on Capitol Hill,” he said .
Recalling those who fought to protect democratic institutions that day, he added: “This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That must always be defended. That we must always be vigilant … Each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and defeat lies. “
Biden spoke hours after Trump was acquitted by the Senate in his second impeachment trial – a verdict that underscored the influence that the 45th president of the United States still has on the Republican Party, even after leaving office.
After just five days of debate in the chamber that was the scene of last month’s invasion, a divided Senate was 10 votes below the two-thirds majority needed to condemn serious crimes and misdemeanors. A conviction would have allowed the Senate to vote to disqualify him from a future position.
Seven Republicans joined each Democrat to plead guilty on charges of “inciting insurrection” after his search for months to reverse his defeat for Joe Biden and his deadly conclusion on January 6, when Congress met to formalize the results of the elections.
The 57-43 vote was the most bipartisan support for sentencing in a presidential impeachment trial. The outcome, which was never in doubt, reflected both the senators’ still raw rage over Trump’s conduct when his supporters invaded the Capitol last month – and the control that the defeated president still maintains over his party.
Republicans willing to challenge him included Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Trump’s acquittal came after severe warnings from the nine Democratic House managers, who acted as prosecutors, that Trump continued to pose a threat to the nation and democracy itself.
“If this is not a serious crime and misdemeanor against the United States of America, then nothing is,” Congressman Jaime Raskin, the principal manager, argued to senators in the final moments before they passed their trials as jurors and witnesses. “President Trump must be condemned, for the security and democracy of our people.”
In a plenary speech after the vote, Senator Mitch McConnell, minority leaders, said that Trump’s conduct before the attack on the Capitol amounted to a “shameful abandonment of duty” by the former president, which he considered “practically and morally responsible for causing the day’s events ”
But McConnell concluded that the Senate was never meant to serve as a “moral tribunal” and suggested that Trump could still face criminal prosecution.
“President Trump is still responsible for everything he did while in office,” said McConnell. “He hasn’t escaped anything yet.”
The vote on Saturday came after the process was briefly thrown into chaos when House managers unexpectedly moved to call witnesses in an effort to shed light on Trump’s mood as the attack unfolded. Taken by surprise, Trump’s legal team threatened to testify “at least more than 100” witnesses and said Pelosi was at the top of the list.
After a frantic outbreak of uncertainty in which it appeared that the managers’ request could prolong the trial for several more weeks, the senators struck a deal with the prosecutor and Trump’s lawyers to avoid calling witnesses. Instead, they agreed to present as evidence the written statement by a Republican Congresswoman who was told that Trump sided with the protesters after the minority leader in the House begged him to stop the attack on January 6.