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The 5-day impeachment trial, fastest in the history so far, ended favoring former US President Donald Trump with a final tally of 57-43. The prosecution was about 10 short of the required two- thirds majority needed to get the verdict in their favor.
With his reputation tarnished, the former president, celebrating his acquittal, took to the press, issuing a statement regarding his political movement. The former president, however, is eligible for running for the presidency for the third time. Want to know more? Look up for the Trumpism on the internet by linking it with Trump’s impeachment trials.
How The Verdict Affected The Senate Republicans?
Some Senate Republicans were under criticism for their conviction vote against the former president. Amongst the six that joined Mitt Romney of Utah, two senators decided to retire. However, the issue arises again in terms of the elections in November where they’ll be facing the ire of primary voters as well as the use of their vote against them in campaigns by democrats.
Verdict of Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell, senator of Kentucky was particularly in the news for his stance on things and going for the ‘not guilty’ vote, favoring the acquittal of the former president. As per his speech, McConnell was persistent in holding the former president responsible for the acts of incitement on 6 January.
However, around his trial vote, he stated the reason that he believed former presidents were not eligible for impeachment trials and that furthering the idea would cause any private citizen to be trialed and ruled ineligible for any public office in cases of impeachment, a rather unpleasant idea.
Moreover, McConnell’s response would also keep him safe from being out of step with his fellow Senate Republicans since it’s already quite heated for them.
What’s in it for House Democrats?
The House Democrats were quite in the spotlight for their slick presentation amid the impeachment case. The presentation, led by Jamie Raskin, was particularly focused on the events of the day under focus especially when the rioters were close to the Capitol chamber that even included vice president Mike Pence at certain points.
In addition, second-term Congressman Joe Neguse was also in the limelight where he urged Congress to convict the former president. Some other prominent figures that appeared included Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, which gave Democrats a chance of rallying for the statehood.
However, even with such prominence, the on-again, off-again attempt to call witnesses was an unforced error that perhaps led to the verdict. However, with several Republicans voting for the acquittal, the Democrats can use this as an opportunity to sever voters from the opposition side in the upcoming elections.
The Current President’s Strategy
One of the many things that occurred during the trial was the current president Joe Biden keeping the impeachment trial at arm’s length and focusing on his legislative agenda. The best was the remark made by the president after viewing the repeated videos of Capitol violence riots.
The president, however, was focused on dealing with the political fortunes after dealing with the pandemic, economic turnovers, and the public’s concerns. In addition, since the president was much focused on the legislative agenda, Biden’s Covid Relief Bill, it was inevitable that the agenda was prepared in short order.
However, the Senate was busy with the trial, and now since it has concluded, the agenda will be brought under focus. In addition, administrative appointments that were on hold such as Merrick Garland for attorney general and other such posts would also be processed.
How Do Trump’s Lawyers View the Case?
The lead lawyer for Trump’s legal team, Bruce Castor, wasn’t able to pull a convincing opening; rather, it resulted in one of the senators, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, siding with the democrats, which displeased the former president as well.
However, later, Castor receded in the background with Michael van der Veen taking the podium. With his practicing expertise in personal injury and liability law cases, Van der Veen was able to hold the stance better or rather strengthen it enough to get his client off the hook.
Overall, the case was a win for the former president. It would probably change the course for the upcoming elections; however, Trump’s stance on how he’ll be approaching politics or even using the trial proceedings is still unknown.
