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The US Senate acquitted President Trump on both articles of impeachment this afternoon. The final votes were 52-48 on the abuse of power charge, and 53-47 on the obstruction of Congress charge. The votes fell almost completely along party lines, with one exception.
Utah Senator Mitt Romney became the first Senator in US history to vote to convict a President from his own party. Senator Romney voted to convict on the abuse of power charges. On obstruction of Congress, Romney voted to acquit.
There was speculation that a handful of vulnerable Democrats might vote to acquit Trump, but they all ultimately voted to convict. Those in question included Senator Doug Jones from Alabama and Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia. Jones put out a lengthy press statement defending his vote. Most pundits gave him little chance of winning reelection even before the vote.
A conviction was always seen as a long shot. Democrats would have needed 20 Republicans to vote against the president, something that was nigh impossible considering Trump enjoys upwards of 90% approval from Republican voters. For better or worse, the Republican Party is now Trump’s party.
Though the trial may be over, the partisan war has only just begun. Democrats have vowed to continue investigating the president. They are already planning to subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton. For his part, President Trump has shown little remorse for his actions and continues to defend them.
Tensions were boiling over in last night’s State of the Union address. The president refused to shake hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She returned the favor by ripping up a written copy of the speech he had delivered to her. Fireworks are sure to fly over the next few months as election season heats up.