SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — President Donald Trump avoided removal from office Wednesday after an impeachment vote mainly along party lines in favor of acquitting the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Lawmakers from the Bay Area and across California took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the outcome of the trial, some using harsh words to condemn the Senate vote.
Sen. Kamala Harris called the vote to acquit a “miscarriage of justice.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell said the impeachment trial was rigged by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky.)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) said today is a “sad day” for the U.S., calling the trial a sham because of the lack witnesses or documents.
“Let me be clear: the Senate did not conduct a fair trial. From limiting debate to blocking any witnesses and documents, Mitch McConnell did everything in his power to hide the truth from the American people,” she said.
On the other side of the political aisle, Senate Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) took aim at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s move at Tuesday’s State of the Union Address by ripping up paper and saying Trump was “acquitted for life.”
Pelosi ripped up the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday night at the end of the Trump’s speech.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said on Twitter after Wednesday’s vote that she voted guilty on both impeachment charges against the president.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) called the results of Wednesday’s vote “shameful” and praised Sen. Mitt Romney who voted to convict the president, crossing his party line.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) said the impeachment trial against Trump was “rigged from the start.”
“This is not an acquittal, it’s an abdication of the Republican-controlled Senate’s responsibility to our country,” the congresswoman said on Twitter.
She went on to say the Republicans are now complicit in the president’s “corrupt and criminal actions.”
The impeachment trial against Trump was the third such trial in American history.
The trial began after allegations the president sought help from Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden all while withholding military aid from the country.
The allegation sparked a 28,000-page report by House investigators, Trump’s impeachment and subsequent acquittal.
No president has ever been removed from office by the Senate.