Donald Trump Releases Statement After Senate Acquittal
On Saturday, the Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection against the U.S. government.
As CSPAN reported via Twitter, Trump immediately released a statement praising senators who, in voting to acquit him, “stood proudly for the Constitution.”
Trump also slammed the Democratic Party, claiming that liberal lawmakers have been given a “free pass” to excuse violence and purge their political opponents from the public sphere.
The former commander-in-chief denounced the impeachment process as a continuation of a “witch hunt” against him, claiming that no president in American history has been treated so unfairly.
“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, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people… who voted for us just a few short months ago.”
Trump also thanked his supporters for standing by him and indicated that he does not plan on retiring from politics anytime soon.
“In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!” he said.
Trump concluded the statement by saying that his movement will soon “emerge” and offer a new vision for the American people.
The Senate voted largely along partisan lines, with only seven Republicans bucking their party. Per Fox News, Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine thought Trump was guilty of inciting an insurrection.
As the publication noted, Republicans who found Trump guilty are all but guaranteed to face intense backlash and fierce primary challengers. Some expected Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — who has strongly criticized Trump — to vote to convict, but he did not do so. However, he delivered a scathing speech once again condemning Trump’s rhetoric in the days leading up to the January 6 riots.
Trump remains incredibly popular with conservative-leaning voters. For instance, a recent CBS News poll found that the vast majority of Republican voters would leave the GOP and join a Trump-led party if he were to form one. The survey also showed that a majority of Republicans think the former commander-in-chief bears no responsibility for the January 6 riots.
