Senate Votes Down Articles of Impeachment, Deluded House Democrats Vow To Press On

Feb. 5, 2020 (EIRNS)—In a vote held in the Senate this afternoon, President Donald Trump was acquitted on the charges contained in two articles of impeachment—that he had abused power and obstructed Congress. The vote was not even close to reaching the two-thirds threshold required to remove a President from office.

The first article of impeachment, abuse of power, was rejected by a vote of 48-52; the second, obstruction of Congress, by a vote of 47-53. Only Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah broke with the Republicans and voted “guilty” on the charge that Trump had abused his power. Never-Trumper Romney explained that “my oath before God” demanded that he vote against Trump, arguing that the President was guilty “of an appalling abuse of public trust.”

As might be expected, House Democrats have determined that the show isn’t over. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told the New York Times that he would “likely” subpoena former National Security Adviser John Bolton because “when you have a lawless President, you have to bring that to the fore.” And then there’s Adam Schiff, who whined to AP after the vote that Trump’s “basic lack of character, his willingness to cheat in the next election—he’s not going to stop. It’s not going to change, which means we’re going to have to remain eternally vigilant.”

It was clear that other, more moderate Democrats struggled with their decision to convict. Both Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama said they had “reluctantly” decided to vote to convict the President. As quoted by Wheeling, West Virginia’s The Intelligencer today, Manchin said

“voting whether or not to remove a sitting President has been a truly difficult decision, and after listening to the arguments presented by both sides, I have reached my conclusion reluctantly. For the reasons above I must vote yes on the articles of impeachment. I take no pleasure in these votes, and am saddened this is the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.”