Biden comments on Trump’s acquittal

SANAA, Feb. 14 (YPA) – US President Joe Biden said late Saturday that though most Republican senators voted to acquit former President Donald Trump of inciting insurrection leading to the deadly violence on Capitol on Jan. 6, the “substance of the charge” in the impeachment trial was not in dispute.

“While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute,” Biden said in a statement.

“Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a ‘disgraceful dereliction of duty’ and ‘practically and morally responsible’ for provoking the violence unleashed on the Capitol,” Biden said, repeating his calls for unity to “end this uncivil war and heal the very soul of the nation.”

Only seven Republican senators joined all the 50 Democrats to vote “guilty,” failing to reach two-thirds majority required for the conviction on the article of impeachment.

The 57-43 vote in the currently evenly split Senate yielded the most bipartisan margin in favor of conviction in US history, showing further divide among Republicans in the post-Trump era.

E.M