Former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the US Senate on Saturday on an article of impeachment that he incited the deadly US Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6.
Fifty-seven senators voted in favor of conviction, but a conviction needed 67 votes. Seven Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump.
Republican Sens. Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey voted in favor of convicting Trump.
Democrats were hopeful that had Trump been convicted, a simple majority of senators would vote in favor of permanently barring Trump from ever hold federal office in the future. As it stands, Trump is eligible to hold federal office again, and could run for president in 2024.
Saturday’s vote was paired with last-minute drama. A statement released by GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler late Friday prompted House prosecutors to call on witnesses. The motion for witnesses took the Senate by surprise early Saturday morning. After the Senate went on recess, House managers dropped their request for witnesses, and instead asked to put Beutler’s statement on the record.
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