(Washington) Former US President Donald Trump was indicted on Saturday for “inciting” a deadly insurgency on Capitol Hill, after a landmark Senate trial marked by the publication of gruesome photos.
Thanks to strong support still among the Republicans, the billionaire escaped conviction, but in a marked detachment, seven senators from his party voted in favor of his conviction.
Immediately after this ruling, the former president praised the end of the “witch hunt” and promised to “continue” to defend “the greatness of America.” If he cherishes the idea of representing himself in 2024, his political future remains very uncertain.
For Donald Trump, this is the second acquittal in a number of impeachment measures. A unique case in the history of the United States.
“Donald Trump has been acquitted by this,” said Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who presided over the trial, announcing the final vote, and announced the final vote result: 57 votes in favor of his conviction, and 43 against. The 50 Democrats needed 17 Republican votes to convict him of the two-thirds rule.
“Absurd” or “Khan” president accused the Americans of supporting the rioters? The billionaire’s attorneys, Republican and Democrats-elected responsible for filing the case in the Senate have fought for five days.
US Senate TV photo via Reuters
“The time has come to complete this political farce,” one of the 45 lawyers shoutedH United States President Michael van der Vein during his short appeal on Saturday.
“Regardless of the extremely terrible volume of riot footage we might witness, and the level of emotion injected into this trial, it does not alter the fact that Mr. Trump is innocent of the leaders brought against him.”
He said, “The estimate, based on the clues I’ve seen, that Mr. Trump really wants, and in fact sparked a deliberate armed rebellion to topple the American government, would be absurd.”
He accused that behind the accusation was the Democrats’ “fear” of re-election of Donald Trump in 2024.
‘Grouchy crowd’
Democrats wanted to indict Donald Trump and then disqualify him in a new vote.
For them, he is primarily responsible for the events of January 6, when a mob of angry supporters swept through the Capitol building as the US Congress was about to confirm his defeat in the November 3 elections.
“It is now clear, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Trump has supported the actions of the violent mob and therefore must be indicted.” Jimmy Raskin, chief Democratic prosecutor, said during the nearly two-hour indictment, “It’s that simple.”
When we most needed a president to protect and defend us, President Trump deliberately betrayed us. One of the nine Democrats indicted, David Cecilin, added that he had broken his oath of “protecting the country.”
By combining shocking videos of the violence with selections from presidential speeches, Democrats have, since the trial began, accused Donald Trump of abandoning his role as commander in chief to dress as an “en-chief.”
According to them, he “stoked the anger” of his supporters for months with a “big lie”: by presenting himself as the victim of a “stolen” election after “fraud” he never provided evidence for.
On January 6, when elected representatives in Congress approved Biden’s victory, they “lit the fuse,” they said, by throwing them at them: “Fight like demons.”
Once the assault began, he waited many hours before calling on his supporters to “return home”. They estimate that five people were killed and hundreds injured or traumatized.
For Donald Trump’s attorney, if the bloody attack was “horrific,” this “unfair” trial was only the result of “political revenge.”
They also drew carefully edited videos, and emphasized that Donald Trump’s vocabulary battlefield was part of “normal political discourse,” protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
They also confirmed that the former president called on his supporters for a “peaceful and national” march to the Capitol building.
So far, the influential Republican minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has announced very cautiously so far, shortly before the meeting opens on Saturday morning, that he will vote to acquit Donald Trump. It was a “difficult decision,” he said, undoubtedly sealing the outcome of the final vote.
PHOTO MANDEL NGAN, French press agency
Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell
After the vote, he confirmed that Donald Trump was indeed “responsible” for the violence that occurred on January 6, but that the Senate does not have the power to convict him.
“Evil thinker. Music scholar. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon geek. Amateur internet enthusiast. Introvert.”