Montana Senators Split Their Votes on Trump Acquittal
Former President Donald Trump was acquitted in his impeachment trial at the U.S. Senate Saturday. The trial concluded February 13th with the Senators voting Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The vote fell short of the 67 votes needed to convict with 57 Senators voting for conviction and 43 against.
Montana's two Senators voted in the session, with Republican Steve Daines voting for acquittal and Democrat Jon Tester voting to convict. Here are their statements following the trial.
From Montana U.S. Senator Steve Daines:
“January 6th will forever be remembered as a very dark day for our country. I’m thankful for the officers who defended our Capitol that day—they are American heroes. I categorically condemn all violence, and I reject extreme rhetoric and radical false conspiracies like QAnon. These values do not represent who we are as Americans.
“I reject the notion that Vice President Pence had the constitutional authority to overturn the election on January 6th. It's simply not true. Vice President Pence faithfully upheld his oath of office and certified the election.
“I voted to acquit President Trump of a second impeachment because I believe the trial was unconstitutional. I do not believe the Senate has the authority to remove a former President from office who is no longer in office. Going forward, the focus must be to arrest and prosecute the domestic terrorists who broke into our Capitol, attacked law enforcement officers, sought to cause harm, and tried to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
From Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester:
“I took my duty to serve as an impartial juror seriously and listened to the evidence presented by the prosecution and defense. Ultimately the House Managers presented a clear, evidence-based case that proved to a majority of my Republican and Democratic colleagues that former President Trump incited a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th that came within a hundred feet of destroying our democracy. I joined with this group from both parties to defend our Constitution by holding the former president accountable to the rule of law, and sending a powerful signal that politicians must be held accountable if we want our democracy to survive.”