US Senate decides: Trump not guilty

(Patria) – The US Senate has decided that President Donald Trump is not guilty on either of the two impeachment charges.

52 senators voted in favor of Trump, and 48 against in the first round of voting on the charge of 'abuse of power'. Only one Republican voted against.

During the second round of voting regarding the charge of obstruction of Congress, 53 senators voted against impeachment and 47 for, in line with the number of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.

The entire impeachment procedure, initiated by the House of Representatives, lasted five months.  

The only Republican who voted for Trump's impeachment in the first round of voting was Mitt Romney, senator from the state of Utah. During his address to the Senate, he stated that Trump was guilty of 'terrible abuse of public trust'. However, Romney did not vote for impeachment on the second charge related to obstruction of Congress.

The outcome of the vote reflects the deep division regarding Trump's presidency; while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell concludes that 'the partisan impeachment ends today', accusing Democrats of refusing to accept the results of the 2016 presidential election, Democrats claim that the president abused power like no one in earlier history by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

In his address to the nation on Tuesday, before the Senate's decision, the US president did not mention the impeachment, but he used the opportunity on Twitter to criticize Republican Romney for disloyalty.