US President Donald Trump has been acquitted of both charges in his impeachment trial, ending a congressional bid to oust him from office that bitterly divided the US. In a historic vote on Wednesday, the 5th February 2020, the Senate decided not to remove America’s 45th president Donald Trump from office on his impeachment trial based on charges arising from his dealings with Ukraine. The first article of impeachment was the abuse of power and the second article of impeachment was the obstruction of Congress by the US President. The charges against Trump centred on his request that Ukraine investigate Trump’s political rival former vice-president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden and the president’s subsequent actions to block testimony and documents sought by the House in its impeachment investigation. Democrats accused Trump of abusing his power by withholding $391 million US in security aid passed by Congress to help Ukraine combat Russia-backed separatists as leverage to pressure Ukraine to help him smear a political rival. It is Joe Biden who is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in November Presidential Election.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives approved the both articles of impeachment against US President Donald Trump on 18 December. Then the impeachment trial was sent to the Senate
The majority of the Senators are from the president’s own political party, the Republican Party. The fellow Republicans in the Senate voted to acquit him 52-48 on charges of abuse of power and 53-47 on obstruction of Congress. Trump is the third U.S. president to have been impeached and acquitted. The two other presidents who were impeached named Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868, were also left in power by the Senate. The impeachment drama that has consumed Washington since September comes to an end as the Republican president Donald Trump pivots toward the election on 3rd November 2020 for his 2nd term.
Source: CBC news and BBC news
Former Professor, Writer, and Adviser to CBNA
Montreal, Canada, 5th February 2020
