Trump Acquitted Of Both Charges In Senate Impeachment Trial

 The Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit President Donald Trump of both counts in his impeachment trial.

Forty-eight senators, including one Republican, found Trump guilty of abuse of power, while 52, all Republicans, voted to acquit him.

The president was also impeached on the charge of obstruction of Congress, in which all 53 Republicans found him not guilty and the remaining 47 senators voted to convict.

The acquittal vote was the final step in a two-week trial marked by impassioned arguments from House Democrats that Trump was a danger to the nation, and stalwart support from Senate Republicans for a president who maintains a political stranglehold on their party.

Impeachment rules require 67 votes in the Senate to convict a president and remove him from office. With a 53-47 Republican majority, the odds that Trump would be convicted were slim from the start.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who delivered a searing condemnation of the president’s actions earlier in the day on the floor of the Senate, broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power count.

After Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts announced the outcome of both articles, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Roberts for his “clear head, steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands.”

For his efforts, McConnell awarded Roberts the “golden gavel,” which was presented to him on the Senate floor.

Roberts, in his final remarks before the trial officially adjourned, said that he leaves the chamber “with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter.”

“You have been generous hosts and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances,” Roberts said.

Trump later tweeted that he would make a statement regarding his acquittal on Thursday at noon from the White House.