Donald Trump 'a threat to American democracy': Pelosi after Senate acquits US President

As United States President Donald Trump was acquitted of all charges on both articles of impeachment, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly denounced the Senate's decision and said that he remains 'an ongoing threat to American democracy'. The Republican-majority Senate voted 52-48 to acquit Trump of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress. The result also means that Trump will remain in office for the rest of his term as President and will further fight for a second term during the Presidential elections. 

Pelosi in a statement said that the US President and Senate Republicans have normalized lawlessness and rejected the system of checks and balances of the constitution. She further added that President Trump remains an ongoing threat to American democracy, with his insistence that he is above the law and that he can 'corrupt the elections' if he wants to. 

READ: Trump Wins Acquittal, But Ukraine Saga Far From Over

Sen Mitt Romney votes 'guilty'

To convict and remove Trump from the office, two-thirds of 'guilty' votes would have been needed. Only one Republican, 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney voted to convict the President. The Utah Senator announced his decision hours before the voting took place. In an eight-minute-long speech, Romney said that he believed that what the President did was "very wrong" and that he was following his conscience."

READ: Donald Trump To Make Public Statement On Impeachment Trial Verdict On Feb 6

Wednesday's outcome followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House to Mitch McConnell's Senate, reflecting the nation's unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency.

What started as Trump's request for Ukraine to “do us a favour” spun into a far-reaching, 28,000-page report compiled by House investigators accusing an American president of engaging in shadow diplomacy that threatened US foreign relations for personal, political gain as he pressured the ally to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of the next election. No president has ever been removed by the Senate.

READ: Mitt Romney Votes To Convict President Trump; Says 'He Followed His Conscience'

READ: Donald Trump Acquitted Of All Impeachment Charges By US Senate