The typically tight-lipped Senate Republican leader rarely broke from Trump in his four years as president. A conviction also would have led to a subsequent vote to disqualify Trump from holding public office again. House impeachment managers had asserted that there should not be a “January exception” for impeachment, contending that it’s a crucial tool for Congress to hold the president accountable, and that the pro-Trump riot proved once again that the most dangerous time in a democracy is during the transfer of power. And former Presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one,” he said. “We have a criminal justice system in this country. McConnell argued that “impeachment was never meant to be the final forum for American justice,” but suggested Trump could be subject to criminal prosecution in the future. Trump acquitted for second time following historic Senate impeachment trial Then-President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a Make America Great Again rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, October 20, 2020. McConnell claimed that a verdict before Joe Biden’s inauguration had been impossible. ![]() “Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.”īut McConnell – who, as Senate majority leader last month, rejected calls by Senate Democrats for a speedy trial during Trump’s final days in office – said Trump was constitutionally ineligible for conviction since the punishment is removal, and Trump was already out of office. “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty,” added McConnell. ![]() Because he was angry he’d lost an election.” McConnell sharply criticized his former ally in a speech on the Senate floor shortly after Trump was cleared in a 57-43 vote, saying the rioters had been “fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth. ![]() Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell directly blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting last month’s riot but voted Saturday to acquit him anyway of inciting an insurrection.
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