House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is torching Republicans after former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
Following the final vote on Saturday, Pelosi issued a statement where she applauded the House impeachment managers for “[defending] our Constitution and our Democracy” and “[demonstrating] extraordinary love of country and loyalty to our oath and the facts.”
“Today an overwhelming bipartisan vote to convict Donald Trump speaks to the courage of the United States Senate,” she wrote. “I salute the Republican Senators who voted their conscience and for our Country.”
She then slammed Republican lawmakers who voted to acquit Trump:
“Other Senate Republicans’ refusal to hold Trump accountable for igniting a violent insurrection to cling to power will go down as one of the darkest days and most dishonorable acts in our nation’s history.”
The House speaker turned her focus to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), saying that on Jan. 15, “[House impeachment managers] were told that because the Senate was closed the Article could not be received. It is so pathetic that Senator McConnell kept the Senate shut down so that the Senate could not receive the Article of Impeachment and has used that as his excuse for not voting to convict Donald Trump.”
She concluded:
“Tragically, Senate Republicans who voted not to convict chose to abandon the Constitution, the Country and the American people with this vote. Thank God for the judges and Republican elected officials across the country who pushed back against Donald Trump’s attempted overturning of our election which fueled the insurrection.”
The Senate impeachment trial ended with a 57-43 vote — seven Republicans voted to convict Trump, as IJR reported.
McConnell said on Saturday, “There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” adding, “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president.”
Following the final vote, Trump said in a statement, “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun.”