Donald Trump had a message for the U.S. following his second impeachment acquittal in the Senate: “Make America Great Again has only just begun.”
The former Republican president dismissed the trial as “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country” in a publicly released statement on Saturday.
His comments capped off a stunning five-day trial in which House Democrats had sought to prove that Trump had incited a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to delay the certification of U.S. President Joe Biden. The attack left five people dead.
“No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago,” the statement read.
“In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!”
The U.S. Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority (67 votes) needed to convict Trump of inciting the riot in a 57-43 vote.
Seven Republicans sided with Democrats and voted to convict Trump, representing the largest ever number of party members to vote against their own president in the country’s history.
GOP members who voted against Trump included Sens. Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Patrick Toomey.
Republican senate leader Mitch McConnell contended that Trump could not be convicted as a private citizen, but emphasized that he was, in fact, “practically and morally responsible” for the Capitol riot.
“The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president,” he said, adding that Trump is “still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen.”
The trial showed gruelling new footage of the attack, detailing graphic violence against officers attempting to stop the mob and several rioters dressed in tactical gear chanting to hang former vice-president Mike Pence while members of Congress ran for their lives.
“This trial in the final analysis is not about Donald Trump,” said lead prosecutor Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. “This trial is about who we are.”
More to come.
— With files from The Associated Press
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