Second Trump impeachment falls short of two-thirds majority needed to convict

The second impeachment of now-former President Donald Trump fell short of getting enough votes to convict the Republican for high crimes and misdemeanors.

The vote was 57 in favor of conviction, 43 against – 10 short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority needed.

Seven Republicans – Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey – voted in favor of conviction on the charges that Trump incited the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as Congress was convening to certify the votes from the 2020 presidential election.

Both of the senators representing Virginia, Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, voted for conviction.

“One year ago, I said upon the conclusion of President Trump’s first impeachment trial, ‘Unchallenged evil spreads like a virus,’ and that acquittal would lead to worse behavior,” Kaine said. “The events of Jan. 6th—seven dead, the first siege of our Capitol in over 200 years, the disruption of the peaceful transfer of power—are the direct result of that first acquittal.

“I will vote to convict because seven needlessly died and hundreds were injured by a former President’s egregious lies. So many risked all to protect us. The least we can do is protect them by voting to condemn and thus prevent behavior that should never be repeated,” Kaine said.

“The evidence presented by the managers in this case was overwhelming: Donald Trump used the platform of the presidency to incite a violent insurrection against the seat of our democracy that led to multiple deaths. These are the most serious charges ever levied against a U.S. president, and with good reason,” Warner said.

“While the Senate failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump and bar him from future office, a bipartisan majority of senators voted today to send a clear message to future presidents that conduct of this nature is impeachable, intolerable and disqualifying. When the history books on this moment are written, I believe that judgment will be clear,” Warner said.

Story by Chris Graham