Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the Republican Occasion’s 2012 presidential nominee, simply turned the only real exception to the Senate’s party-line v
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the Republican Occasion’s 2012 presidential nominee, simply turned the only real exception to the Senate’s party-line vote to acquit President Trump — and the primary senator who has ever voted to take away a president of his personal occasion.
Romney says he broke occasion strains to vote to convict on one in all two costs, abuse of energy, as a result of he believes Trump’s conduct exhibits that the president is unfit and that he “needs to be faraway from workplace.”
“I imagine that the act [Trump] took — an effort to corrupt an election,” Romney instructed Fox Information’s Chris Wallace, “is as damaging an assault on the oath of workplace and on our Structure as I can think about.”
Romney’s vote makes him a novel determine in America historical past.
Solely two different presidents apart from Trump have confronted an impeachment trial: President Andrew Johnson in 1868, and President Invoice Clinton in 1999. Each Johnson and Clinton have been Democratic presidents, and no Democrat voted to convict both man (although some Republicans did vote to acquit).
Johnson was impeached on three costs and practically convicted — 35 of the 36 senators essential to take away him from workplace voted to take action. On the time, the Democratic Occasion was a rump occasion, nearly powerless in Congress as a result of they have been intently related to the Southern white secessionists who waged struggle towards the Union.
Solely 9 Senate seats have been held by Democrats through the Johnson impeachment, and all 9 voted to maintain Johnson in workplace.
Equally, President Clinton was charged with two offenses and acquitted on both — the Senate voted 55-45 to acquit him of a perjury cost, and 50-50 to acquit him of obstruction of justice. Each senator who voted to take away Clinton was a Republican.
It’s value noting that Trump’s supporters, together with his personal authorized workforce, have tried to discredit the impeachment effort by labeling it a “partisan impeachment.” However, till now, each impeachment trial of a president ended with the president’s fellow partisans lining up for acquittal.
Romney’s vote makes Trump’s impeachment trial the primary bipartisan vote to take away a president in American historical past.