How did Pennsylvania’s senators vote in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial?
The third and shortest presidential impeachment in United States history has come to a close. Although the Senate acquitted President Donald Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Pennsylvania’s representatives were divided on the decision.
On Wednesday, senators voted — nearly along party lines — to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment, following a 12-day trial that did not include witnesses or documents. Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney was the only member of the GOP to break with the president and political party to vote to convict Trump.
The Senate cleared Trump on the first impeachment charge of abuse of power by a 52-48 vote. On the second charge, obstruction of justice, Trump was found “not guilty.” The vote was 53-47.
Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey acted as jurors during the Senate trial and were split on impeachment from the beginning.
Initially calling for Trump’s impeachment in September, Casey voted “yes” to Trump being guilty on both articles of impeachment. In a statement released Tuesday, Casey said the House managers presented “substantial, persuasive” evidence.
During the impeachment proceedings, Casey was displeased with the decision to block witness testimony but said even without additional information, Trump clearly “abused his power and obstructed Congress’ investigation.”
“There is no doubt that President Trump withheld military aid and a vital White House meeting from Ukraine, in order to coerce its president into announcing a sham investigation of a political rival and a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election,” he said. “It has also been established that he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election and then further abused his power by covering it up and obstructing Congress’ well-predicated investigation.”
Prior to the Senate trial, Toomey said he hoped the proceedings would be “fair,” but voted against hearing from witnesses. On Wednesday, Toomey voted to acquit Trump on both counts of impeachment, saying that the president’s actions do not warrant removal from office.
Toomey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that Trump’s actions “were not perfect” but said they are not impeachable offenses.
“President Trump’s conduct does not meet the very high bar required to justify overturning the election, removing him from office and kicking him off the ballot in an election that has already begun,” Toomey wrote. “In November, the American people will decide for themselves whether President Trump should stay in office. In our democratic system, that’s the way it should be.”
Fully acquitted, Trump will remain in office.
“President Trump has been totally vindicated, and it’s now time to get back to the business of the American people,” Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. “The do-nothing Democrats know they can’t beat him, so they had to impeach him. This terrible ordeal was always a campaign tactic to invalidate the 2016 votes of 63 million Americans and was a transparent effort to interfere with the 2020 election only nine months away.”
