Published 12:50 IST, February 6th 2020
Trump reacts to impeachment acquittal with customary aplomb, says he's President '4-eva'
Moments after being acquitted of all charges of impeachment by the Senate, Donald Trump posted a video showing him running for President till eternity
Moments after being acquitted of all charges on both articles of impeachment by the Senate, United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter and shared a video showing him running for President till eternity. The 30-second clip was earlier shared by him in 2019 amid escalating tension with Iran. As the President was cleared of the impeachment charges, which he has maintained was "witch-hunt" against him, he shared the same video reportedly created by a pro-Trump meme maker. The video was based on a Time magazine cover and accompanying video from 2018 that made the case for why “Trumpism will outlast Trump.”
After five months of hearings and investigations, a divided US Senate acquitted him of charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress to aid his own re-election. While he was acquitted 52-48 on the first article of impeachment, 53-47 on the second article of impeachment. The result means that President Trump will remain in office for the rest of his term and will fight for a second term during the Presidential elections scheduled in November this year. Trump was the third president in American history to be impeached and acquitted, after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Two-thirds of “guilty” votes that is 67 would have been needed to convict and remove Trump from office.
Charges on Trump
In August 2019, a whistleblower complained that White House officials believed they had witnessed Trump abuse his power for re-election. The President was accused asking for "favour" from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, to open an inquiry against former Vice President Joe Biden, who could be Trump’s Democratic opponent in the November election. He had said, “I would like you to do us a favour”, and subsequently brought up Biden and his son Hunter who at one time worked in Ukraine.
Thus, the first article of impeachment: “Abuse of power”, sent by the House to the Senate accused Trump of seeking “ interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Presidential election." It went on to add: "Trump has used the powers of the Presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process."
The second article of impeachment, “Obstruction of Congress”, accused Trump of directing Executive Branch agencies and officials not to comply with subpoenas, seeking to “arrogate to himself the right to determine the propriety, scope, and nature of an impeachment inquiry into his own conduct”.
Trump impeached by House
The House dominated by Democrats, last year in December passed the abuse of power article of impeachment on party-line 230-197 vote. Subsequently, the House also passed the second article of impeachment charging Trump with obstruction of Congress by 229-198 vote. The Senate trial began thereafter, and on Wednesday, on trial day 13, he was acquitted.
Impeachment was a method devised by the United States’ forefathers, after breaking away from Britain and King George III in the 18th century, to enable Congress to remove a president who has committed “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Updated 12:50 IST, February 6th 2020