The political world watched with baited breath as then President Donald Trump was but through the impeachment process. He was eventually acquitted, and business resumed as normal… until January. The incumbent Donald Trump was defeated by former Vice President from the Obama administration, Joe Biden and there were many rumors about possible voter fraud, while they were eventually dismissed, some supporters of the former President took to the nation’s capital to protest, but things quickly escalated, and they broke into the capital building and went through the belongings of many prominent politicians and even stole a podium. Trump was officially accused of sending his supporters to riot in Washington DC and break into the capital building, thus beginning a call for the impeachment process yet again and he would be tried with “Incitement of Insurrection”. There are contradictions on both sides, some rioters claim the Donald Trump himself told them to do it, others claim that they acted on their own accord, in the end, nobody knew for certain and the senate launched an investigation and call for impeachment. After a tumultuous period of accusing and defending, the day to vote arrived, many believed that the 2nd impeachment process would begin, but in a turn of events, the senate voted to officially acquit the former President with 57 Senators voting to proceed with impeachment, however while the majority voted to put him through the impeachment process, they ultimately fell of the needed “Super Majority” (67 votes).
The capital riot
REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo
Trump is no longer the President and there are many who wish to prosecute him for other instances of perceived misconduct, but the question now becomes whether or not a former president who did something that can be deemed impeachable can also be deemed a violation of US law. This is where things start to get foggy, after all Joe Biden is now the President and none of the original Trump administration is left, his term is over, and the constitution says that a president can only be impeached over “high crimes and misdemeanors”, but since Trump is no longer President, some say that this no longer applies. Interestingly, the issue has strayed from whether or not the ex-President had incited the riot, but it is now if he can even be tried.
Prominent Republican Senator Mitt Romney voted to impeach Donald Trump
Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images
That aside, this impeachment trial has had some unintended consequences, the Republican party has split on the issue, with 7 Republican senators voting to impeach the man from their own party, including some of the party’s biggest names, such as Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, who have been outspoken about their dislike of Trump before this issue. The biggest split came when Republican senate leader Mitch McConnell exchanged some words with Donald Trump, which is strange as McConnell voted to acquit him. McConnell said that the “moral responsibility” of the riot fell on Trump’s shoulders and he expressed that he disagreed with the former President’s behavior. Donald Trump struck back and will proceed to take on one of the party’s most prominent figures, deepening the divide. Will Donald Trump ever be tried again? Can he be tried? Can the Republicans pull themselves back together? Only time will tell.
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