History was made today yet many will forever view that justice was denied.
In an unprecedented vote in our nation’s Capitol, the United States Senate failed to gain sufficient votes to support the House of Representatives Impeachment of Donald J. Trump. The Senate acquitted Trump and found him not guilty in the by the vote 57 guilty and 43 not guilty. All Democrats, seven Republicans, and two independents voted to acquit Trump of the irrefutable evidence that Trump initiated, gathered, and incited a mob to storm the Capitol causing violence to many, death of a few, and threats to the life of Trump’s own Vice President.
According to the U.S. Constitution, two-thirds (total of 67 votes) of the Senate was required to determine Trump’s guilt or innocence. To be clear, the other side of Congress — the House of Representatives — voted for his second impeachment yet the Senate let Trump off the hook.
This was the first presidential impeachment trial where all Senators were actual witnesses yet nonetheless, many Republicans voted to protect Trump from what many viewed as the most classic case for impeachment. People were killed, injured, and threatened. Images of the Confederate flag, MAGA hats, and other racist images will forever remain vivid.
The notorious Mitch McConnell, leader of the Senate Republicans, stated after the vote that Trump was practically and morally responsible for causing the mob attack and their actions were foreseeable yet McCommell still refused to find Trump guilty from his “wild and unfounded claims” that Trump had lost the Presidential election. McConnel even admitted Trump was the only one who could end the mob attack.
The decision to acquit Trump will weigh heavy on the record of America. The violence of January 6th by a mob seeking political violence and retribution.
By not taking action to find Trump guilty, he is not disqualified to run for public office and we will see what happens next. One thing we know, if Trump was a man of color, he would not only have been found guilty of impeachable offenses, he would have been castigated and rebuked by a majority of the Senate and the United States of America.
