The Senate has voted to acquit Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, dismissing the charge that he incited the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
The New York Times reports that based on the House’s charge of “incitement of insurrection” against Trump, Democrats alleged that over the course of months, he engaged in an attempt to invalidate the election, and then fomented the attack on the Capitol as he tried to block certification of Joe Biden as president.
The Senate voted 57-43 to acquit Trump of the single charge. Though a majority voted to impeach him—and with seven Republicans siding with Democrats—Democrats didn’t get the two-thirds majority, or 67 votes they needed to convict Trump.
The seven Republicans who voted guilty were Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
The ruling has brought an end to the fourth presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history, and the only one where the president had already left office before the trial began. With an acquittal, Trump is now able to hold future federal office once again.
Following the verdict, Trump released a statement, saying, “This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it.” He also thanked his legal team and members of Congress “who stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.”
