The immediate past President of the United States, Donald Trump has reacted to the victory he recorded at his second impeachment trial, saying his political movement “has only just begun”.
He spoke on Saturday evening, not long after his acquittal by the Senate on a charge of inciting insurrection, leading to the storming of the Capitol by his supporters on 6 January.
Although 7 Republican Senators joined 50 Democrats to vote Trump guilty, they were unable to get the required 67 votes to convict him, leading to his second acquittal from the senate.
Trump thanked his legal team for “upholding justice and defending truth.”
“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead, I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people,” he said in the statement.
The Senators voted 57-43 on whether to convict Trump of high crimes and misdemeanours for “wilfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.” A two-thirds vote was needed to find Trump guilty.
In the statement, Trump gave his “deepest thanks” to the Republicans in the Senate who he said “stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.”
“I also want to convey my gratitude to the millions of decent, hardworking, law-abiding, God-and-Country loving citizens who have bravely supported these important principles in these very difficult and challenging times,” Trump said.
Trump decried what he described as the “latest phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country.”
He accused Democrats of using heated rhetoric around the social justice protests from over the summer, an argument his legal team made as part of his defence.
“It is a sad commentary on our times that one political party in America is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree,” Trump said.
“I always have, and always will, be a champion for the unwavering rule of law, the heroes of law enforcement, and the right of Americans to peacefully and honourably debate the issues of the day without malice and without hate,” he added.
