{"slug":"trump-second-impeachment-acquittal-senate","title":"Second Impeachment: Incitement of Insurrection — Impeached, Then Acquitted on Technicality","date":"2021-01-13","lastUpdated":"2021-02-13","description":"On January 13, 2021 — one week after the January 6 Capitol attack — the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection, making him the first president to be impeached twice. The Senate trial was held in February 2021, after Trump had left office. The Senate voted 57-43 to convict — a majority, and the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history — but short of the two-thirds supermajority required. Seven Republicans voted to convict, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted to acquit on the technicality that Trump had already left office but delivered a speech calling Trump 'practically and morally responsible' for the attack.","summary":"The House impeachment was adopted 232-197 with ten Republicans voting to impeach — the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in history. The single article charged Trump with incitement of insurrection for his speech at the Ellipse on January 6 and his conduct leading up to the attack. Senate Majority Leader McConnell voted to acquit on the grounds that the Senate lacked jurisdiction to try a former president, then immediately gave a speech from the Senate floor saying Trump was 'practically and morally responsible' for the attack. The acquittal was on procedural grounds, not on the merits.","category":"rule-of-law","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/us/politics/trump-impeachment-acquitted.html","title":"Trump Acquitted in Impeachment Trial as Republicans Invoke Technicality","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-senate-impeachment-acquittal/2021/02/13/1ebe8736-6e3a-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html","title":"Senate acquits Trump in impeachment trial, 57-43","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-senate-impeachment-acquittal","title":"Senate acquits Trump in second impeachment trial","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hres24/BILLS-117hres24enr.pdf","title":"H.Res. 24 — Article of Impeachment: Incitement of Insurrection","publisher":"U.S. House of Representatives"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["impeachment","January-6","incitement","first-term","Senate","acquittal","McConnell"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2021-01-13","title":"House impeaches Trump — incitement of insurrection","summary":"The House of Representatives votes 232-197 to impeach Trump on a single article of incitement of insurrection. Ten Republicans vote to impeach, the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in U.S. history."},{"date":"2021-01-25","title":"Senate trial date set for February","summary":"The Senate agrees to begin the trial on February 8, giving Trump's lawyers time to prepare and allowing the Senate to confirm Biden's Cabinet nominees. The delayed timeline allows Trump to leave office before the trial begins."},{"date":"2021-02-08","title":"Trial begins — jurisdiction argument","summary":"The trial opens with a Senate vote on whether it has jurisdiction to try a former president. The Senate votes 56-44 that it has jurisdiction — six Republicans joining all Democrats. This jurisdictional vote means the subsequent acquittal will be on procedural grounds by a minority."},{"date":"2021-02-13","title":"Senate votes 57-43 to convict — acquits short of supermajority","summary":"The Senate votes 57-43 to convict, a majority but short of the required two-thirds. Trump is acquitted. McConnell votes to acquit then gives a speech calling Trump 'practically and morally responsible' for the attack."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"U.S. Capitol police officers assaulted; democratic processes; constitutional order; Congress members whose safety was threatened","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; charged with incitement of insurrection; acquitted on procedural grounds","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2021-02-13","summary":"Updated with trial verdict and McConnell statement."}]}}