**Washington, D.C.** – Former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Saturday in his second impeachment trial, with all but seven Republicans voting against conviction. The vote was largely along party lines, with Democrats unanimously supporting conviction and Republicans largely opposing it..
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. However, the Senate voted 57-43 to acquit him, falling short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction..
The vote came after a five-day trial in which House impeachment managers presented evidence that Trump had incited the violence at the Capitol by repeatedly making false claims about the election being stolen from him. Witnesses testified that Trump’s words had inspired the rioters who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the election..
However, Trump’s defense team argued that his words were protected by the First Amendment and that he did not explicitly call for violence. They also argued that the impeachment trial was politically motivated and that Trump was being unfairly targeted..
In a statement after the vote, President Joe Biden said that the Senate’s decision was .
