Former President Donald Trump made history on Feb. 13 by becoming the first and only president in American history to be impeached and acquitted twice.
Trump’s second acquisition concluded his second impeachment trial that began on Feb. 9, in which he was charged with inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots that took place during the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes.
The U.S. Senate needed a supermajority of two-thirds in order to convict Trump. However, at the conclusion of voting, the attempt fell short by 10, with a total of 57-43 votes. Since the Senate was unable to reach the supermajority to convict him, Trump will legally be allowed to run for political office again in the future.
Seven Republican senators joined the Democrats, voting in favor of Trump’s conviction. They included the following: Richard Burr (North Carolina), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse, and Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania).
Trump also made history for having the shortest recorded impeachment trial in American history. His second impeachment lasted five days, beating the previous record of 21days. This record was also set by Trump during his first impeachment trial regarding foreign interference in the 2016 election.
During the impeachment process, Trump was accused by Democrats of spreading “lies” about election fraud, requesting supporters to “storm” the Capitol building, and refusing to call off the “violent” attacks.
Trump and his lawyers defended the accusations by claiming his request was specifically asking for “peaceful” assemblies, not “violent” protests. They also stated his speech was protected under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and that his words “fight like hell” were not meant to be interpreted literally, much like prior speech used commonly by Senate Democrats that insinuated the word “fight.”
Since the impeachment, some allegations have been thrown in the direction of the U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, stating that she refused Trump’s request to allow 10,000 National Guard troops to defend Washington D.C. during the Jan. 6 attacks.
While Trump’s second acquittal allows his third attempt for a White House bid, some Senate Democrats alluded to the idea of a third impeachment trial in the coming months to accuse him of Fourteenth Amendment violations.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
