US Senate clears Donald Trump over January 6 Capitol violence following impeachment trial
Washington, Feb 14: The US Senate has acquitted Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, as it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict the former president on a charge of inciting the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Following four days of the impeachment trial, the 100-member Senate voted to impeach Trump by 57-43 votes, 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.
Trump, a Republican, is the first-ever president to have been impeached twice and the first president to have faced impeachment after leaving office.
Trump, 74, faced the charge of incitement of insurrection over the deadly January 6 assault of the US Capitol by his supporters.
Seven Republican Senators -- Bill Cassidy, Richard Burr, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey -- voted in favour of impeaching him.
If he had been convicted, the Senate could have voted to bar him from running for office ever again.
Trump released a statement soon after the acquittal, saying "no president has ever gone through anything like it".
"It is a sad commentary on the times that one political party in America is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree," he said.
Trump denounced the trial as "the greatest witch hunt in history".
"I always have, and always will be a champion for the unwavering rule of law, the heroes of law enforcement, and the right of Americans to peacefully and honourably debate the issues of the day without malice and hate," he said.
He thanked his team of dedicated lawyers and others for their tireless work "upholding justice and defending the truth".
"My deepest thanks as well to all of the United States Senators and Members of Congress who stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country," Trump said in the statement.
Trump's lawyers argued that his insurrection incitement charge was a "monstrous lie" and the impeachment proceedings against the former president was a "politically motivated witch hunt" by the Democrats.
After the vote, the senior Republican in Congress, Senator Mitch McConnell said Trump had been "responsible" for the assault on the Capitol and called it a "disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty".
However, he voted against conviction, saying it was unconstitutional now that Trump was no longer president.
McConnell warned Trump could still be held liable in court.
"He didn't get away with anything yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country, we have civil litigation and former presidents are not immune from being [held] accountable by either one," he said.
In their closing statements, the Democratic House of Representatives lawmakers appointed to lead the process through the Senate warned that it would be dangerous to acquit Trump.
The Washington Post said that the result underscored Trump's continued grip on most Republicans despite the party losing control of both the White House and Congress during his tumultuous tenure.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
