Today, the United States Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump (R) on the charge of incitement of an insurrection.
57 Senators voted in favor of convicting Trump for his actions in provoking the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 in an effort to overturn the election of now-President Joe Biden (R). In addition to the 48 Democrats and two Democrat-caucusing Independents, seven Republicans voted for conviction. That is ten short of 67, the required number of votes to meet a two-thirds majority and convict an impeached party.
Related: “Presidential flipper” who flipped off Donald Trump won an election & oversees his golf club
“The verdict does not reflect the truth understood by a majority of Americans, that Donald Trump recklessly and maliciously directed his supporters to attack the Capitol and our democracy,” GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “The Trump administration will forever be defined by misinformation and violence, tactics the former president weaponized against LGBTQ people and other vulnerable communities before turning them loose on our government on January 6th.
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“Senators voting to acquit are now and for all of history recorded for their cowardice in failing to hold the former president accountable for his lawless, destructive behavior. Let this be a turning point for our country, where we demand a return to shared core values of truth, safety and integrity to protect the least among us, especially from those chosen to lead us.”
Prior to the final vote, Democratic trial managers came to an agreement with Trump’s legal team against calling witnesses for the trial, instead opting to end it with closing arguments.
“Tired of feeling like nobody is fighting for us,” wrote Mary Trump, Donald’s out niece, after.
While the White House has not made a statement as of yet, several other prominent political figures took the moment to react to the outcome.
BREAKING: US Senate votes to acquit former President Trump on article of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection." pic.twitter.com/k3bTKNcXjQ
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) February 13, 2021
A travesty. A tragedy. Tired of feeling like nobody is fighting for us.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) February 13, 2021
The GOP has once again decided to side w insurrection & white supremacy over democracy
— Marti 2021 (@MartiGCummings) February 13, 2021
This country is in deep trouble…
— Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (@esglaude) February 13, 2021
Senate Republicans apparently threatened to use the filibuster to stop all other senate business — including COVID19 relief for desperate American families — if this trial were to continue and hear witnesses. Never before has the GOP stooped so low to defend Donald Trump.
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) February 13, 2021
Even after McConnell agrees they proved their case, it's amazing watching the House Managers on the defensive because they couldn't unstick 43 Republican Senators from Trump's butt. 7 Republicans couldn't even do that.
— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) February 13, 2021
The seven GOP Senators who voted in favor of convictions were: Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Pat Toomey (R-PA).
The 7 GOP votes to convict Trump, with context:
Burr (retiring)
Toomey (retiring)
Cassidy (just won, not up until 2026)
Collins (just won, not up until 2026)
Sasse (just won, not up until 2026)
Murkowski (has won despite losing R primary)
Romney (voted to convict last time/YOLO)— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 13, 2021
Ellis and GLAAD weren’t alone. Several civil rights advocates, leaders, and groups expressed outraged by the outcome of the month-long impeachment process.
“Today comes as no surprise to us,” wrote the Human Rights Campaign on Twitter. “We have always had to demand our most basic rights.”
The daughter of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Bernice King, simply shared a picture stating “The system isn’t broken, it was built that way.”
Americans from marginalized communities have spent all their lives in a system that harms many to the advantage of few. Today comes as no surprise to us. We have always had to demand our most basic rights.
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 13, 2021
a new circle of hell. https://t.co/vqkf5o8wDA
— deray (@deray) February 13, 2021
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) February 13, 2021
Congress must immediately pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and long overdue #DCStatehood legislation.
Our democracy deserves these urgently needed measures, and the civil rights community will continue to demand their swift passage.
— The Leadership Conference (@civilrightsorg) February 13, 2021
Michael van der Veen, who defended former President Donald Trump in the Senate trial, allegedly said afterward to a colleague that “we’re going to Disney World!”
In a statement, Trump thanked his team of supporters and ranted that “this has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it.”
“Our MAGA movement… has only just begun,” he added.
Without the impeachment, he cannot be barred from holding federal office. He is in position to run for President or another office again in the future.
Teflon Don lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden by 7 million votes. He's a twice impeached, one term President who lost the popular vote to Clinton and Biden.
The dude is a loser.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 13, 2021
57-43. Trump acquitted.
This is an epic, historical stain on the Constitution and most of the Republicans in this Senate.
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) February 13, 2021
This makes it kind of difficult to have a functioning democracy. https://t.co/d0fDHJEdK3
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) February 13, 2021
This is Mueller report all over again.
Which…by the way…WE STILL DO NOT HAVE THE ENTIRE MUELLER REPORT.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) February 13, 2021
But 240 million Americans who didnt vote for trump are not gonna forget this morally bankrupt acquittal! https://t.co/vAxiNEKLI3
— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) February 13, 2021
The Republican Party is, right now, aligning themselves with fascism. We must never forget this moment.
This is not a party for the American people, this is a party of dictators and white supremacy.
— Rev. Brandan Robertson (@BrandanJR) February 13, 2021
Trump was widely perceived to have mishandled a pandemic, faced Dems' most broadly appealing nominee possible, lost the popular vote by 7M+ and still came within 42,918 votes of winning reelection.
If you think he's doomed politically post-1/6, you haven't been watching.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) February 13, 2021
I want to add on McConnell, not only did he block the Senate from holding a trial while Trump was still in office and then use it as an excused to acquit, his wife resigned as a cabinet member 24 hours after the insurrection. He is a total self-interested coward!
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) February 13, 2021
The country and the system is broken but remember you are LGBTQIA and fuck’em.
— Trixie Mattel (@trixiemattel) February 13, 2021
Senate Democrats either need to figure out how to twist enough Republican arms to get 60 votes or they Schumer needs to figure out how to get Manchin/Sinema/etc. onboard with getting rid of the filibuster.
If they can’t, barely anything gets done, they get wiped out in 22 and 24
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 13, 2021
