Summary

  • Former President Trump is acquitted at his impeachment trial over the deadly attack on the US Capitol

  • Trump faced a single charge of inciting a mob of his supporters to ransack Congress

  • Fifty-seven senators voted to convict him - 10 short of the number needed to convict

  • Seven Republicans turned against their former president

  • Top Republican Mitch McConnell lambasted Trump's election 'lies'

  • But said he could not convict him because he is now a private citizen

  • Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Republicans 'cowards'

  • A statement from Trump called the verdict a witch hunt but vowed to carry on the fight

  1. That ends our live coveragepublished at 23:42 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    A general view of the U.S. Capitol following the conclusion of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on February 13, 2021 in Washington, DCImage source, Getty Images

    Thanks for joining us for the dramatic final day of Donald Trump's second impeachment trial.

    You can follow further updates to the story here.

    Here are the key moments from today:

    • The Senate fell 10 votes short of a conviction, with seven Republicans joining Democrats - the most ever to vote for convicting a president belonging to their own party
    • Trump vowed to continue his journey "to achieve American greatness for all" in a statement post-acquittal
    • Republican leader Mitch McConnell voted against conviction, but then blasted Trump in an address after the vote, saying he was certainly responsible for the mob and suggesting he could be held accountable in other courts
    • The day also began with a surprising push from House managers to seek witnesses, which prompted questions over how long the trial might take
    • Lawyers on both sides eventually reached an agreement to enter into the record a statement from a congresswoman regarding an argumentative call between Trump and Congressman McCarthy
    • In closing arguments, Trump's defence argued the impeachment charge was unconstitutional
    • Democratic lead manager Jamie Raskin had urged Republicans to not bend to Trump's will, quoting Benjamin Franklin as saying sheep get eaten by wolves

    Today's editor was Tom Geoghegan and writers were Ritu Prasad, Marianna Brady and Holly Honderich.

  2. President Biden looks aheadpublished at 23:38 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Joe BidenImage source, Getty Images

    For President Joe Biden, the impeachment of Donald Trump has meant starting his first term competing for headlines with his predecessor.

    Now the Democrat is hoping to take the focus back to his administration's coronavirus response.

    With Trump's trial officially behind him, Biden's team has scheduled a televised town hall focusing on Covid on Wednesday in Wisconsin, with a trip to Michigan on Thursday to tour a vaccine-production facility.

    Since becoming president, Biden has made the pandemic central to his agenda. Last week, his White House secured deals for 200 million more vaccine doses, and said that 300 million people will be vaccinated by the end of July.

  3. The backlash begins...published at 23:25 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Donald Trump JrImage source, Getty Images

    We've just been discussing the future of the seven Republicans who voted to convict.

    It's only been a couple of hours since the Senate took its vote, but they are already facing a backlash from within their party.

    The former president's son, Donald Trump Jr, posted on Twitter suggesting that there be an impeachment for the "RINOS" - Republicans in name only - an insult frequently favoured by his father.

    And Fox TV host Laura Ingraham has predicted that "None of the Republicans who voted in the affirmative today will speak at the 2024 GOP Convention" - where speaker slots indicate who holds the power in the party.

  4. What next for Republican rebels?published at 23:21 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    As Democrats keep telling us: this was the most bipartisan impeachment vote in US history.

    Seven Republican Senators crossed party lines and voted to convict. So what awaits them now?

    For two of them, the political consequences won't matter very much. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Richard Burr of North Carolina are both retiring.

    Three others - Susan Collins, Ben Sasse and Bill Cassidy - were just elected in November and so will have six more years to win back any voters angered by their decision today.

    Mitt Romney has less time - he is up for election again in 2024. But as a moderate and long-time critic of Trump, he's never been a favourite of his party's more right-wing voters, and is very popular in his home state of Utah.

    Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has even less time - she'll face voters again in 2022. But much like Romney, she has long endeared herself to voters there with her moderate approach, and the open primary system in Alaska makes her a strong candidate.

  5. Top Republican to meet Trump to discuss party's futurepublished at 23:02 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Lindsey Graham and Donald TrumpImage source, Getty Images

    Senate Republican Lindsey Graham told reporters he will meet former President Donald Trump in the coming weeks to discuss "the future of the Republican Party".

    On the heels of the 6 January riots and a second impeachment trial, there are real tensions in the party about the way ahead.

    Graham said he was looking ahead to 2022, and his party's chances of gaining seats in the House and Senate. Both are currently controlled by the Democrats.

    "For that to happen, Trump's got to work with everybody," he said.

    And Graham's not the only one with the former president's ear.

    Last month, Representative Kevin McCarthy flew to Florida to meet Trump.

    Both meetings point to the former president's lingering power in the Republican party.

  6. What's happened at Capitol since acquittal?published at 22:37 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Democratic House managers left the Senate chamber for the last timeImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Democratic House managers left the Senate chamber for the last time

    Trump's defence team hugs after the acquittalImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Trump's defence team hugs after the acquittal

    Trump's defence team, including Michael van der Veen (right) take the Senate subway post-trialImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Trump's defence team, including Michael van der Veen (right) take the Senate subway post-trial

    McConnellImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Republican leader Mitch McConnell departs the chamber

  7. Pelosi blames McConnell for trial delaypublished at 22:33 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    In the same press conference, she also hit back at Mitch McConnell for justifying his vote to acquit on the fact Trump was out of office.

    Pelosi says the Democrats had prepared their case for the trial with several days still left in his presidency, but it was McConnell who caused the delay.

    Mitch McConnell "created the situation where it could not have been heard" before Trump was out of office, she says.

    Democrats "didn't choose" to wait, she says.

  8. Pelosi: Censuring Trump would be a 'slap' to the Constitutionpublished at 22:30 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with House impeachment managers, speaks to the press after the Senate voted to acquit former US President Donald Trump, in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2021Image source, Getty Images

    Speaking to reporters, Pelosi rejects the idea of censuring Donald Trump - a far lesser punishment than impeachment.

    Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have floated the proposal in recent days, as it became clear Trump would be acquitted in an impeachment trial.

    Censure would be "a slap in the face of the Constitution", Pelosi says, calling the Senators who voted to acquit "cowardly".

    "We censure people for using stationary for the wrong purpose," she says. "We don't censure people for inciting insurrection that kills people in the Capitol."

  9. The McConnell question - convictions or cop-out?published at 22:16 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America reporter

    McConnellImage source, Getty Images

    If every Senate Republican had their own political calculation to make before casting their vote - weighing whether to risk the ire of their party or the judgement of general election voters - one particular senator’s drama was on particularly stark display.

    Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, leader of his party in the Senate, had been outspoken for weeks in his criticism of Donald Trump’s conduct on 6 January. For a while, his final vote in the trial was in doubt. On Saturday morning, however, he informed his fellow senators he would support acquittal.

    After the Senate rendered its final verdict, he explained why. He condemned Trump’s behaviour and said he engaged in a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.”

    “There’s no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said.

    His not guilty vote, he said, was because former presidents were not eligible for impeachment trials. If such a precedent were followed, he said, any private citizen - regardless of status - could be impeached and ruled ineligible for public office by the Congress.

    McConnell’s critics will view that as a cop-out, not a principled stand. And it is noteworthy that his procedural objection allows him to avoid being out of step with the majority of Senate Republicans, which is a risky place for a congressional leader to be.

    It’s a fine line for McConnell to walk, and time will tell if his fellow Republicans are satisfied with his vote, if not his words.

    Read more from Anthony.

  10. Republicans (mostly) in victorious moodpublished at 22:07 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Here's a glance at what conservative Twitter is saying post-trial.

    Donald Trump Jr, the former president's eldest son, was quick to weigh in on all that his father is doing right, with a meme to boot.

    Conservative pundit Laura Ingraham accused Democrats of not caring about the law, just "political points".

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, deemed it all a waste of time.

    But Rod Dreher, a senior editor at the American Conservative, instead agreed with Democrat Chuck Schumer, saying Republicans had disgraced themselves.

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  11. McConnell: 'Trump is still liable'published at 21:52 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    McConnell continues his criticism of the former president.

    "Trump is still liable for everything he did while in office," McConnell notes.

    "He didn't get away with anything he did, yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country.

    "We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one."

  12. Who were the Republican rebels?published at 21:44 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Senators Burr and MurkowskiImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Senators Burr and Murkowski

    We were expecting at least four Republican senators to side with Democrats at the end of this trial, and we ended up with seven.

    Senator Richard Burr, of North Carolina, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania are the two unexpected additions to the list. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was slightly less of a surprise, as he did vote to advance the trial.

    Burr, who is retiring, said in a statement after the vote that he believed it was unconstitutional to impeach a president who was no longer in office, but once the Senate set the precedent that it was within the law, he listened to the facts as an impartial juror.

    "The facts are clear," he said.

    "As I said on January 6th, the president bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a co-equal branch of government."

    Burr concludes that he did not make the decision lightly, but Trump "violated his oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution".

    As for Cassidy, he kept his statement to the point: "Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty."

    Senator Toomey has not issued a statement yet, but Politico reporter Olivia Beavers tweeted that he described it as the "right call" to convict and did not comment further.

  13. McConnell criticises 'Trump lies'published at 21:32 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021
    Breaking

    Media caption,

    McConnell explains how he finds Trump responsible but voted to acquit

    Republican Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell is delivering remarks now.

    Once a Trump ally, McConnell bluntly criticises him for promoting unsubstantiated theories about election fraud, and then for not doing his job "as the chaos unfolded" on 6 January.

    "With police officers bleeding and broken glass covering Capitol floors, he kept repeating election lies and praising the criminals," McConnell says.

    The veteran Republican adds that Trump supporters who use the millions of votes he received in the election as a deflection is an "absurd" argument, because "74 million Americans did not invade the Capitol. Hundreds of rioters did".

    After his uncommon attack on a fellow Republican, McConnell gets into why he did not, then, vote to convict.

    He says impeachment is a "narrow tool for a narrow purpose".

    "If President Trump were still in office I would have carefully considered whether the House managers proved their specific charge."

    But McConnell says his understanding of the Constitution finds that only the president, vice-president and civil officers can be convicted: "We have no power to convict and disqualify a former officeholder who is now a private citizen".

    "If removal [from current office] becomes impossible," he continues, "conviction becomes insensible."

  14. Trump sets impeachment records even with acquittalpublished at 21:22 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Barbara Plett Usher
    BBC News, Capitol Hill

    It was the verdict everyone expected, but the day was not without its drama. Seven Republicans voted along with Democrats to convict Donald Trump of inciting the violent attack on the Capitol last month.

    In the end, they didn’t get the two-thirds majority they needed.

    Still, this is a historic moment.

    Trump is the first president to be impeached twice and has set a record with the most votes to convict by members of his own party

  15. 'A vote of infamy'published at 21:19 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Chuck ScumerImage source, Getty Images

    After Trump was acquitted, first up was the leader of the Democrats in the Senate.

    "January 6 will live as a day of infamy in the United States. The failure to convict Donald Trump will live as a vote of infamy in the history of the United States Senate," says New York Senator Chuck Schumer.

    He criticised the 43 senators who voted to acquit Trump who effectively "signed their names alongside his" in the history books.

    The Democratic senator insisted one thing is certain - that Trump's legacy will be embroiled in this scandal forevermore, making it nearly impossible for him to ever hold elected office again.

    As the senator spoke, however, the Trump team released a statement promising a future for the Make America Great Again movement. Without a conviction, there is nothing barring Trump from holding office again.

    Whether he runs again remains to be seen. But he will certainly wield his influence in other ways.

  16. What does this mean for Joe Biden?published at 21:13 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America reporter

    Joe BidenImage source, Getty Images

    The current president’s strategy for handling the former president’s impeachment trial was to keep the whole ordeal at arm’s length.

    He wasn’t closely following the proceedings, White House officials said. During the trial, he kept a busy schedule of events related to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Biden administration’s calculation is that his long-term political fortunes rest on his success in dealing with the pandemic, the economy and the American public’s other concerns, and not with the outcome of Trump’s impeachment trial.

    In the end, the trial had little practical impact on his progress towards enacting his legislative agenda. The Senate lost only three days of business.

    With the trial concluded, the Senate will resume confirming Biden’s administration appointments, after it returns from a week recess.

    All of this should please Biden and his team.

    If the Democratic base decides, however, that the price of moving forward with Biden’s political agenda was the failure to hold Trump fully accountable - for instance, by conducting a speedy trial without witnesses - he may pay a political price nevertheless.

    In the political battles ahead, Biden needs a united Democratic Party. If there is second-guessing after this impeachment trial, cracks might start to emerge.

  17. Trump vows to 'continue journey'published at 21:06 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021
    Breaking

    Trump's office released a statement just moments after he was acquitted.

    "This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country," it reads.

    He does not mention the 6 January riot, rather reiterates the narrative that Democrats are the party that supports rioters and mobs.

    "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..."

    He concludes with a look to the future and a promise to his supporters.

    "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."

  18. WATCH: The moment Trump was acquittedpublished at 21:04 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021
    Breaking

    Media caption,

    Patrick Leahy delivers the verdict

  19. What the acquittal means for Trumppublished at 20:55 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    Anthony Zurcher
    BBC North America reporter

    New trial, same outcome.

    Trump once again avoided conviction by the US Senate because his fellow Republicans, by and large, stuck by his side.

    That, at its most basic level, is a win for the president. He is still eligible to run for president again in 2024, if he so chooses.

    His base, by all indications, is still largely intact.

    Trump did not emerge from this impeachment trial unscathed, however.

    One of the most memorable portions of the prosecution case by House managers were the new videos of Trump’s supporters, wearing Make America Great Again hats and waving Trump flags, ransacking the Capitol.

    Those images will forever be associated with the Trump brand. Every rally he holds from here on will evoke memories of that riot.

    It may not cost him among the Republican rank and file, but independent voters - and moderates - are unlikely to forget.

    Read Anthony's analysis in full

  20. What does acquittal mean?published at 20:52 Greenwich Mean Time 13 February 2021

    The Senate vote fell short of the threshold required to convict, with 57 in favour and 43 backing acquittal.

    There were seven Republicans (Senators Sasse, Romney, Burr, Collins, Murkowski, Toomey and Cassidy) joining Democrats to convict on the single charge of incitement.

    But Democrats needed two-thirds of the Senate to vote guilty to convict, so they were 10 votes short.

    Impeachment charges are political, not criminal. An impeachment acquittal essentially means the Senate did not find cause to remove a president from office.

    Of course, Trump is no longer in office. But if Trump had been convicted, the Senate could also have voted to prevent the former president from ever holding office again.

    The Democratic-led House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment on 13 January, with the support of 10 Republicans.