Trump gives 'Victory' speech after acquittal by Senate
President Trump is declaring victory on Thursday, a day after being acquitted by the Senate on two articles of impeachment. He is scheduled to make public remarks at noon ET. Watch his remarks live here when they begin.
After the vote, Trump immediately claimed that he had been "totally vindicated," following a months-long investigation that the White House called a "witch hunt" and a "hoax."
The administration has long insisted that the impeachment inquiry led by House Democrats was politically motivated. The House voted to impeach Trump in December 2019, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
At the center of the failed effort to remove the president was an attempt to get Ukraine to investigate Trump's political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden. Democrats allege that Trump withheld congressionally approved military assistance to Ukraine and a White House meeting as leverage for his own political gain.
The impeachment inquiry in the House and the subsequent Senate trial exposed ever-deepening political divisions.
In the end, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was the only Republican to break ranks, voting to convict Trump on Article 1, abuse of power.
The Democratic caucus stood united on both articles, and party leaders pledged to continue to pressure the Republican administration. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
