Trump Acquitted in Impeachment Trial

Photo by Associated Press

President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been found not guilty by the US senate on both charges of impeachment.

The senate ruled 52-48 on charges of abuse of power and 53-47 on obstruction of Congress with former presidential candidate, Senator Mitt Romney, becoming the first US senator to vote against his own party.

Holding up the front page of The Washington Post in a televised statement to the nation, Mr Trump said the impeachment trial was: “all b******t”.

On the allegation of obstruction of congress, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said: “Sadly, because of the Republican Senate’s betrayal of the Constitution, the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy.”

Mr Trump is the first president to attempt a re-election campaign on the back of an impeachment trial.

In a statement Mr Trump’s re-election campaign said: "The do-nothing Democrats know they can't beat him, so they had to impeach him.

"This impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history."

The trial which divided the US began in December after a whistleblower claimed that Mr Trump was threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine, in an attempt to solicit information about the son of his election rival, Joe Biden.

Democrats alleged that Mr Trump’s withholding of $391m (£300m) was an abuse of power.

Further, Mr Trump was charged with obstructing Congress after the White House blocked testimony and documents sought by the House impeachment investigators.