Former U.S President Donald Trump has reacted to his acquittal on the impeachment charge brought against him at the U.S Senate.
57 Democratic Senators voted Saturday, in support of articles of impeachment that Trump incited the January 6 capitol riot, while 43 Republican Senators voted against it. However, the 57 votes by the Democrats fall far short of the U.S Constitution’s two-thirds requirement needed to convict Trump.
Trump in a statement he issued after escaping impeachment for the second time at the Senate, though out of office, thanked his legal team, as well as the Republicans in the Senate who found him not guilty and GOP House members who voted against the article of impeachment last month.
Trump said: “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.”
The former president said the impeachment proceedings mounted by Democrats was “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country.”
Trump also hinted at future plans, saying “soon we will emerge with a vision for a bright, radiant, and limitless American future.”
“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun,” he said.
“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.”
A vote by the Senate finding the former president guilty would have paved the way for the chamber to disqualify Trump from holding office again.
The option for Trump to seek the presidency in 2024 now remains, though the former president has not yet said whether he will run again.
