Louisiana Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy voted to acquit Donald Trump of the charge that Mr. Trump, as President of the United States, incited a riot and attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
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"My job as a senator and juror in an impeachment trial is not—NOT—to defend, excuse or explain anyone’s behavior—not the Capitol rioters’, not the Democrats’, not the president’s. My job is to evaluate the evidence," said Kennedy in a statement released after the verdict Saturday.
"The merits of the Democrats’ case were not even close," he said.
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Kennedy said Mr. Trump was not allowed to make his case during the House impeachment process, and said the Senate should not have jurisdiction to sit in judgment of someone who is no longer President of the United States."
"There are one or two things I think we can all agree on: The nut jobs who violated the Capitol on Jan. 6 should be prosecuted and jailed. There can be no justice without order. Political violence is wrong. Always. It was wrong on Jan. 6, and it was wrong during the riots this summer," said Kennedy.
"Finally, both parties should be big tents," Kennedy said in conclusion, "but those big tents should each have a big door to kick out extremists who exist on both sides."