Donald Trump impeachment trial: Ex-president acquitted of inciting insurrection - BBC News
A majority of senators vote to convict the former president but fall short of two-thirds total needed.
If every Senate Republican had their own political calculation to make before casting their vote - weighing whether to risk the ire of their party or the judgement of general election voters - one particular senator’s drama was on particularly stark display.

Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, leader of his party in the Senate, had been outspoken for weeks in his criticism of Donald Trump’s conduct on 6 January. For a while, his final vote in the trial was in doubt. On Saturday morning, however, he informed his fellow senators he would support acquittal.

After the Senate rendered its final verdict, he explained why. He condemned Trump’s behaviour and said he engaged in a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.”

“There’s no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said.

His not guilty vote, he said, was because former presidents were not eligible for impeachment trials. If such a precedent were followed, he said, any private citizen - regardless of status - could be impeached and ruled ineligible for public office by the Congress.

McConnell’s critics will view that as a cop-out, not a principled stand. And it is noteworthy that his procedural objection allows him to avoid being out of step with the majority of Senate Republicans, which is a risky place for a congressional leader to be.

It’s a fine line for McConnell to walk, and time will tell if his fellow Republicans are satisfied with his vote, if not his words.