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Republican Senator Mitt Romney was the sole lawmaker to break from his party and support the president’s conviction on the single article. It marked him the first senator in the history of the United States to vote for the impeachment of a president from the lawmaker’s own party. On Wednesday, he was the only senator split from party ranks to vote for President Donald Trump’s removal from office on one impeachment (abuse of power) charge. Romney delivered words in a floor speech, he said, “The president’s purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the president is guilty of appalling abuse of public trust”. He added, “What he did was not perfect, no. It was a flagrant assault under electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep one’s self in the office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine”.

Point to be noted that Romney voted to acquit for the second article on obstruction of Congress. Romney was fully aware that his GOP colleagues will strenuously disapprove and that he’ll be vehemently denounced by others. He also said, “I’m sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters”. It is noteworthy that a two-thirds majority or 67 votes were required to convict the U.S President and it was exponentially difficult. The final tallies for the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress articles made Trump the third president in American history to be acquitted of articles of impeachment.

Twenty Republicans would have needed to side with all 45 Democrats, including 2 Independent senators who caucus with them. A handful of House Democrats opposed the president’s impeachment, although they weren’t succeeded to prevent the articles from reaching to the U.S Senate. Some of the senators were once considered toss-ups on Trump’s innocence or guilt. It consisted of Republicans Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Democrats Doug Jones, Joe Manchin, and Kyrsten Sinema. Jones said, “The evidence clearly proves that the president used the weight of his office and the weight of the United States government to pressurize a foreign government to interfere in the U.S election for his personal political benefit”.