Trump Acquitted of Impeachment Charges

The US Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of both articles of impeachment Wednesday, one day following his State of the Union Address.

Senators voted 52-48 to acquit Trump on the charge of abuse of power and 53-47 on the charge of obstructing a Congressional investigation. A two-thirds supermajority of the Senate would have been required to oust the president from office.

Sen. Mitt Romney, of Utah, was the only Republican legislator to break party lines, doing so only on the charge of abuse of power. He voted against impeachment on the charge of obstruction.

Trump was accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, to dig up ammunition for a potential showdown for the White House in 2020.

He allegedly pressured Ukraine by threatening to withhold nearly $400 million in aid the country needed to bolster its military, which has been involved in a protracted conflict with Russia.

Trump’s was only the third impeachment trial in US history. No president has ever been removed from office through the process, as Bill Clinton and Andrew Jackson each won their impeachment trials as Trump did. However, Richard Nixon resigned following the events at the Watergate Hotel in 1972.