WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After the move to impeach former President Donald Trump failed at the weekend, President Joe Biden said it is a sad chapter in U.S. history, which has reminded that the country's democracy is fragile. The US Senate voted in favor of impeaching Trump by 57-43, but that fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict him. The Democrats needed the support of at least 17 Republican senators to reach the target in the 100 member Upper House, but only seven Republicans voted to find the former President guilty for inciting the deadly insurrection.
A similar resolution was passed in the House of Representatives on January 13 against Trump, who thus became the first president in US history to be impeached twice.
The impeachment managers had charged that Trump is responsible for the riot at the Capitol on January 6 by 'inciting insurrection' in a speech to supporters hours before the Congressional meeting to certify Biden's presidential election win.
Trump followers' failed violent attempt to block the Congress from certifying Biden's victory resulted in the death of five people.
'While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute,' according to Biden. 'Even those opposed to the conviction, like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, believe Donald Trump was guilty of a 'disgraceful dereliction of duty' and 'practically and morally responsible for provoking' the violence unleashed on the Capitol,' he said in a statement on the Senate Vote.
'This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile,' Biden added.
Making it clear that violence and extremism has no place in America, Biden reminded Americans of their responsibility 'to defend the truth and to defeat the lies'.
Trump welcomed the failure of the impeachment move, which he described as 'witch hunt'.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX