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With Republican firewall, US Senate acquits Trump of inciting deadly Capitol riot - NDTV.com

The US Senate acquitted Donald Trump on Saturday (Feb 13) of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol last month, sparing him from conviction in his second impeachment trial in a year despite broad condemnation of his role in sparking the deadly siege. 

The Senate voted 57-43 in favour of convicting the former president, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to do so, on a charge that he incited the insurrection that left five people dead, forced lawmakers to flee, and put his own vice president in danger while overseeing the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election win. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted "not guilty" in the trial, offered scathing remarks about Trump after the verdict.

"There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," he said. "The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president."President Joe Biden said that while the vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge was not in dispute, and a record number of Republicans had voted to convict Trump."This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile," Biden said in a statement. "That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies."In the vote, seven of the 50 Senate Republicans joined the chamber's unified Democrats in favouring conviction after a week-long trial in the same building ransacked by Trump's followers after they heard him deliver an incendiary speech on Jan 6.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Republicans' refusal to hold Trump accountable would be remembered "as one of the darkest days and most dishonourable acts in our nation's history".

The swift end to the trial allows Biden to move forward with his agenda to bolster the economy with a US$1.9 trillion pandemic relief Bill and further confirmation of his Cabinet members.

But divisions on Capitol Hill and around the country over his controversial predecessor will remain//CNA