WASHINGTON — The latest on former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial:
4:30 p.m.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scoffed at the “cowardly” Senate Republicans who voted to acquit Donald Trump of inciting the Capitol siege.
With the impeachment trial now over, some Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate have suggested censure as an option.
Pelosi panned those efforts as grossly inadequate in the face of the violent attack on the nation’s seat of power. Five people died.
“What we saw in that Senate today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options because they were afraid to defend their job,” she said at the Capitol.
“We censure people for using stationery for the wrong purpose. We don’t censure people for inciting insurrection that kills people in the Capitol.”
Pelosi joined House prosecutors at a press conference at the Capitol following the Senate impeachment trial.
4:05 p.m.
Donald Trump’s legal team is taking a victory lap after securing his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial.
Addressing reporters after the trial concluded, the team thanked the Senate for finding the former president not guilty of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Michael van der Veen, who presented the bulk of the defense, fist-bumped a colleague as he departed the Capitol. He joked: “We’re going to Disney World!”
The vote on Trump’s impeachment was 57-43, with seven Republicans joining all Democrats to vote for Trump’s conviction.
Two thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes, was needed for conviction.
3:30 p.m.
Minutes after voting to acquit Donald Trump of the impeachment charge, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said there is still “no question” that Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking” the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
McConnell said he could not vote to convict Trump because he is “constitutionally not eligible for conviction” because he is no longer president.
He added that a conviction would have created a dangerous precedent that would give the Senate power to convict private political rivals and bar them from holding future office.
McConnell added that impeachment is a “narrow tool for a narrow purpose.”
The Senate voted 57-43 on Saturday to acquit Trump. A conviction required 67 votes.
3:25 p.m.
House impeachment managers were the driving force behind the last-minute move to call witnesses, then strike an agreement to avoid that step.
That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. The person could not publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
The person said the managers hadn’t initially planned to call witnesses, but came to Democratic leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, to ask them to vote to allow the witnesses on Saturday.
The managers later decided they should settle for an agreement with Trump’s lawyers not to call the witnesses. That decision came, in part, after they decided that calling witnesses wasn’t likely to drastically improve their case, the person said.
3:10 p.m.
The Senate’s top Democrat says Jan. 6 will live as a “day of infamy” in American history and that the vote to acquit Donald Trump “will live as a vote of infamy in the history of the United States Senate.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, took to the Senate floor on Saturday to decry the Senate’s acquittal of the former president on a charge that he incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
He applauded the seven Republicans who joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump.
He called the day of the riot the “final, terrible legacy” of Trump and said the stain of his actions will never be “washed away.”
3:05 p.m.
Former President Donald Trump is welcoming his second impeachment acquittal and says his movement “has only just begun.”
Trump in a lengthy statement is thanking his attorneys and his defenders in the House and Senate, who he said “stood proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.”
He is slamming the trial as “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country.” And he is telling his supporters that, “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun,” and that he will have more to share with them in the months ahead.
While Trump was acquitted by the Senate, seven Republicans voted to convict him, making it the most bipartisan vote in the history of presidential impeachments.
2:50 p.m.
Enough senators have cast “not guilty” votes to acquit Donald Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The vote will give the former president an historic second acquittal in an impeachment trial.
House Democrats, who voted a month ago to charge Trump with “incitement of insurrection,” needed two thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes, to convict him.
The Democrats argued in the short trial that Trump caused the violent attack by repeating for months the false claims that the election was stolen from him, and then telling his supporters gathered near the White House that morning to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat. Five people died when they then laid siege to the Capitol.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the rioters acted on their own accord and that he was protected by freedom of speech, an argument that resonated with most Republicans. They said the case was brought on by Democrats’ “hatred” of Trump.
2:40 p.m.
The White House was not involved in the discussion on Capitol Hill about calling witnesses for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. That's according to a senior administration official not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations and speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official says White House officials were watching the drama over witnesses play out in the Senate, but were not involved in brokering the agreement that ultimately allowed the trial to proceed to closing arguments and a vote Saturday.
President Joe Biden spent the weekend with family at Camp David, the traditional presidential retreat in Maryland, and had plans to meet with his national security advisers on Saturday.
2:15 p.m.
A lawyer for Donald Trump says everyone acknowledges the horror of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last month but that the former president wasn’t responsible for it.
Michael van der Veen gave his closing arguments on the Senate floor on Saturday in the impeachment trial of Trump.
He says there is no evidence that Trump incited an “armed insurrection” to “overthrow the U.S. government” and to think that Trump would have wanted that is “absurd.” He says the event on Jan. 6 was supposed to be peaceful but that a small group “hijacked” it for their own purposes.
He also repeated the arguments from Friday that other politicians have engaged in incendiary rhetoric, though impeachment managers noted that none of those speeches precipitated an attack on the U.S. government.
2:10 p.m.
As a vote in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial nears a close, lead Democratic impeachment manager Jamie Raskin told the Senate that “this is almost certainly how you will be remembered by history.”
Raskin said that “none of us can escape the demands of history and destiny right now” as the House managers argue that Trump incited the violent Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the Senate decides whether to convict him.
He said the trial is not about Trump, but “about who we are.”
Trump’s lawyers, and many Senate Republicans, have argued that the trial is unconstitutional. They also say Trump did not intentionally incite the riot when he told a mob of his supporters to “fight like hell” to overturn his election defeat and march to the Capitol as Congress was counting the electoral votes.
The House managers laid out video evidence of the violent assault, in which five people died. Raskin said they proved that Trump betrayed his country and “betrayed his oath of office.”
2 p.m.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has told senators in an email obtained by The Associated Press that his decision to vote to acquit former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial was a “close call.”
McConnell says he believes presidents can be prosecuted for criminal misconduct after they leave office. He says that eases the “otherwise troubling” argument House prosecutors have made that not convicting Trump would create a “January exception” for trying impeached presidents who’ve already left office.
McConnell says he thinks impeachment is chiefly to remove an official “and we therefore lack jurisdiction.”
12 noon
Senators have resumed Donald Trump’s impeachment trial without calling witnesses after agreeing to accept new information from a Republican congresswoman about his actions on the day of the deadly Capitol siege.
After a delay of several hours, the trial is back on track with closing arguments and Saturday’s session heading toward a vote on the verdict.
Under the deal, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s statement on a phone call between Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy as rioters stormed the Capitol was entered into the trial record as evidence. No further witnesses were called.
Senators brought the proceedings to a standstill when a majority voted Saturday morning to consider potential witnesses.
The information from Herrera Beutler sparked fresh interest on Trump’s actions that day.
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11:45 p.m.
Senate leaders are working on an agreement that could end a standoff over calling witnesses in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and allow it to proceed with closing arguments and a vote on whether he incited the deadly Capitol siege.
Under the agreement being discussed, the information that a Republican congresswoman has made public about Trump’s actions on the day of the riot would be entered into the record of the trial in exchange for Democrats dropping plans to deposition testimony from the congresswoman, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington No witnesses would be called to testify.
That would allow the trial to resume Saturday with closing arguments and a vote on the verdict.
A Democrat granted anonymity to discuss the private talks confirmed the pending agreement.
The Senate came to a standstill shortly after convening for the rare Saturday session when a majority voted to consider calling witnesses.
Herrera Beutler’s account of Trump’s call with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy as rioters were breaking into the Capitol on Jan. 6 sparked fresh interest in Trump’s actions that day.
11:30 p.m.
Republican senators are warning that any vote to allow witnesses at the impeachment trial of Donald Trump will significantly prolong the case, and that they have their own lists of people they would want to hear from.
Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters that if there are witnesses called by Democrats, the process “won’t be one-sided” and the former president will be able to have his own witnesses, too.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was among five Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to consider witnesses, said that although he’d like to see the case go to trial, he’ll insist on multiple witnesses if Democrats get to have theirs. He says he would want to hear from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A Trump adviser was seen holding a sheet of paper showing that Trump’s lawyers are prepared to call more than 300 witnesses.
The vote Saturday to consider witnesses upended the trial, which had been racing toward closing arguments and a vote on whether to acquit or convict Trump.
10:15 a.m.
Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial came to an abrupt standstill after a majority of senators voted to consider calling witnesses about the deadly storming of the Capitol.
Even senators seemed confused by the sudden turn of events Saturday. The quick trial had been racing toward closing arguments and a vote on whether to acquit or convict Trump.
Under Senate rules for the trial, it appears debate and votes on potential witnesses could be allowed, potentially delaying the final vote.
House prosecutors want to hear from a Republican congresswoman who has said she was aware of a conversation Trump had with the House GOP leader as rioters were ransacking the Capitol over the election results.
Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler of Washington has widely discussed her reported conversation with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who had called on Trump to stop the attack by his supporters.
Five Republican senators joined all Democrats in voting 55-45 on a motion to consider witnesses and testimony.
Trump’s defense attorneys blasted the late action. Attorney Michael van der Veen said it’s time to “close this case out.”
Senators are in a brief recess as leaders confer on next steps.
9:50 a.m.
The proceedings in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial have come to an abrupt halt, with senators seemingly confused about the next steps.
Senators were huddling on the floor of the chamber as leaders spoke to the clerks at the dais.
Impeachment trials are rare, especially for a president, and the rules are negotiated for each one at the outset.
For Trump’s trial, the agreement said if senators agree to hear witnesses, votes to hear additional testimony would be allowed.
It’s unclear if there will be support in the evenly split Senate for calling witnesses.
9:35 a.m.
Senators have voted to consider witnesses in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Closing arguments were expected Saturday with no witnesses called. But lead Democratic prosecutor Jamie Raskin of Maryland asked for a deposition of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler over fresh information.
She has widely shared a conversation she had with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 as the mob was rioting over the presidential election results.
Raskin said it was necessary to determine Trump’s role in inciting the deadly Jan. 6 riot. There were 55 senators who voted to debate the motion to subpoena, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who changed his vote in the middle of the count.
Trump’s attorney Michael van der Veen balked at the request, saying he’d then call 100 witnesses and said it was not necessary.
9:30 a.m.
Trump impeachment lawyer Michael van der Veen is telling senators that if Democrats wish to call a witness, he will ask for at least 100 witnesses and will insist they give depositions in person in his office in Philadelphia.
His animated statement was met with laughter from the chamber, which visibly angered van der Veen.
“There’s nothing laughable here,” he said. The trial is being held in person, but lawmakers are wearing masks and the coronavirus pandemic has halted most normal activity, including close contact in offices for depositions. In many civil and criminal cases, such work is handled via conference call.
Closing arguments are expected Saturday in the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump. But lead Democratic prosecutor Jamie Raskin of Maryland has asked for a deposition of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler over fresh information.
She has widely shared a conversation she had with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 as the mob was rioting over the presidential election results.
9:20 a.m.
House impeachment prosecutors say they will be preparing a deposition of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler over fresh information in Donald Trump’s trial over the deadly attack at the Capitol.
Lead Democratic prosecutor Jamie Raskin of Maryland said Saturday he would seek to hear from the Republican congresswoman, who has widely shared a conversation she had with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump’s actions Jan. 6 as the mob was rioting over the presidential election results.
It’s unclear if she or any other witnesses will be called.
Raskin said he would pursue a virtual interview with the Washington lawmaker.
Senators are meeting in a rare Saturday session in what is expected to be the final day in Trump’s historic trial.
EARLIER:
WASHINGTON — Senators are poised to vote on whether Donald Trump will be held accountable for inciting the horrific attack at the Capitol after a speedy impeachment trial that laid bare the violence and danger to their own lives and the fragility of the nation's tradition of a peaceful transfer of presidential power.
Barely a month since the deadly riot on Jan. 6, closing arguments are set for the historic trial in a rare Saturday session, held under the watch of armed National Guard troops still guarding the iconic building.
The outcome of the quick, raw and emotional proceedings is expected to reflect a country divided over the former president and the future of his brand of politics.
"What's important about this trial is that it's really aimed to some extent at Donald Trump, but it's more aimed at some president we don't even know 20 years from now," said Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine.
The nearly weeklong trial has delivered a grim and graphic narrative of the riot and its consequences in ways that senators, most of whom fled for their own safety that day, acknowledge they are still coming to grips with.
Acquittal is expected in the evenly-divided Senate. That verdict could heavily influence not only Trump's political future but that of the senators sworn to deliver impartial justice as jurors.
House prosecutors have argued that Trump's rallying cry to go to the Capitol and "fight like hell" for his presidency just as Congress was convening Jan. 6 to certify Joe Biden's election victory was part of an orchestrated pattern of violent rhetoric and false claims that unleashed the mob. Five people died, including a rioter who was shot and a police officer.
Trump's lawyers countered in a short three hours Friday that Trump's words were not intended to incite the violence and that impeachment is nothing but a "witch hunt" designed to prevent him from serving in office again.
Only by watching the graphic videos — rioters calling out menacingly for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the vote tally — did senators say they began to understand just how perilously close the country came to chaos. Hundreds of rioters stormed into the building, taking over the Senate. Some engaged in hand-to-hand, bloody combat with police.
While it is unlikely the Senate would be able to mount the two-thirds vote needed to convict, several senators appear to be still weighing their vote. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will be widely watched for cues, but he is not pressuring his GOP colleagues and is telling senators to vote their conscience.
Many Republicans representing states where the former president remains popular doubt whether Trump was fully responsible or if impeachment is the appropriate response. Democrats appear all but united toward conviction.
Trump is the only president to be twice impeached and the first to face trial charges after leaving office.
Unlike last year's impeachment trial of Trump in the Ukraine affair, a complicated charge of corruption and obstruction over his attempts to have the foreign ally dig up dirt on then-campaign rival Biden, this one brought an emotional punch over the unexpected vulnerability of the U.S. tradition of peaceful elections. The charge is singular, incitement of insurrection.
On Friday, Trump's impeachment lawyers accused Democrats of waging a campaign of "hatred" against the former president as they wrapped up their defense.
His lawyers vigorously denied that Trump had incited the riot and they played out-of-context video clips showing Democrats, some of them senators now serving as jurors, also telling supporters to "fight," aiming to establish a parallel with Trump's overheated rhetoric.
"This is ordinarily political rhetoric," said Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen. "Countless politicians have spoken of fighting for our principles."
But the presentation blurred the difference between the general encouragement that politicians make to battle for health care or other causes and Trump's fight against officially accepted national election results, and minimized Trump's efforts to undermine those results. The defeated president was telling his supporters to fight on after every state had verified its results, after the Electoral College had affirmed them and after nearly every election lawsuit filed by Trump and his allies had been rejected in court.
Democratic senators shook their heads at what many called a false equivalency to their own fiery words. "We weren't asking them 'fight like hell' to overthrow an election," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Democrats say that Trump was the "inciter in chief" whose monthslong campaign against the election results was rooted in a "big lie" and laid the groundwork for the riot, a violent domestic attack on the Capitol unparalleled in history.
"Get real," said the lead prosecutor, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., at one point. "We know that this is what happened."
The Senate has convened as a court of impeachment for past Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton and now twice for Trump. But the unprecedented nature of the case against an out-of-office president has provided Republican senators one of several arguments against conviction.
Republicans maintain the proceedings are unconstitutional, even though the Senate voted at the outset of the trial on this issue and confirmed it has jurisdiction.
Six Republican senators who joined Democrats in voting to take up the case are among those most watched for their votes.
Early signals came Friday during questions for the lawyers.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, asked the first question, Two centrists known for independent streaks, they leaned into a point the prosecutors had made, asking exactly when Trump learned of the breach of the Capitol and what specific actions he took to end the rioting.
Democrats had argued that Trump did nothing as the mob rioted.
Another Republican who voted to launch the trial, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, asked about Trump's tweet criticizing Pence moments after the then-president was told by another senator that Pence had just been evacuated.
Van der Veen responded that at "no point" was the president informed of any danger. Cassidy told reporters later it was not a very good answer.