WASHINGTON (1010 WINS) -- The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday acquitted President Donald Trump on the two impeachment charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- bringing an end to historic, three-week trial that proceeded along partisan lines.
For abuse of power, the Senate voted 52-48 to acquit Trump. For obstruction of Congress, the Senate voted 53-47 to acquit Trump. Mitt Romney was the lone Republican to vote with Democrats.
"Today, the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump. As we have said all along, he is not guilty," the White House said in a lengthy statement. "The Senate voted to reject the baseless articles of impeachment, and only the President's political opponents – all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles." (FULL STATEMENT BELOW)
The outcome Wednesday caps nearly five months of remarkable impeachment proceedings launched in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House, ending in Mitch McConnell's Senate and reflective of the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency.
No president has ever been removed by the Senate, and Trump arrived at the Capitol for his State of the Union address on the eve of the vote eager to use the tally as vindication, a political anthem in his reelection bid. Allies chanted "four more years!"
The president did not mention impeachment. The mood was tense in the House that impeached him. Pelosi tore up the speech when he was done.
During the nearly three-week trial, House Democrats prosecuting the case argued that Trump abused power like no other president in history when he pressured Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
They detailed an extraordinary shadow diplomacy run by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that set off alarms at the highest levels of government. Trump, after asking Ukraine's president for "a favor'' in a July 25 phone call, temporarily halted U.S. aid to the struggling ally battling hostile Russia at its border.
When the House probed Trump's actions, he instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to the obstruction charge.
WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY
Statement from the Press Secretary
Today, the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump. As we have said all along, he is not guilty. The Senate voted to reject the baseless articles of impeachment, and only the President's political opponents – all Democrats, and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles. In what has now become a consistent tradition for Democrats, this was yet another witch-hunt that deprived the President of his due process rights and was based on a series of lies. Rep. Adam Schiff lied to Congress and the American people with a totally made up statement about the President's phone call. Will there be no retribution? Speaker Nancy Pelosi also lied to the American people about the need to swiftly pass impeachment articles they dreamt up, only to sit on them for a month before sending over to the Senate. In the Senate, the Democrats continued to make their political motivations clear – Rep. Schiff proclaimed the issues "cannot be decided at the ballot box" – proving once again they think they know better than the voters of this country. This entire effort by the Democrats was aimed at overturning the results of the 2016 election and interfering with the 2020 election. Throughout this wholly corrupt process, President Trump successfully advanced the interests of the United States and remained focused on the issues that matter to Americans. He spent his time achieving real victories for the people of this country, and the Democrats – once again – have nothing to show for their fraudulent schemes. The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past, and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
