At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Senate voted on the two articles of
impeachment brought against President Donald J. Trump: obstruction of justice and
obstruction of the Senate.
According to NPR, on Feb. 3 both sides provided “opposing versions of the president’s
handling of aid for Ukraine last summer and the impeachment proceedings so far.”
These proceedings brought four witnesses, one of whom was former national security
advisor John Bolton.
According an account of the proceedings from Business Insider, “Bolton, in particular,
claims to have firsthand knowledge of Trump’s efforts to strong-arm Ukraine into
delivering politically motivated investigations targeting the president’s rivals while
withholding a $391 million military aid package and a White House meeting Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky desperately sought and still has not gotten.”
President Trump’s defense team argued that he did not withhold any kind of aid to
Ukraine.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-C.A.), the lead House manager in the impeachment trials, has
argued vehemently to impeach Trump through the Senate.
According to NBC news, “[Schiff] said that if Trump is not found guilty and removed,
Russia or other foreign governments could interfere in the 2020 election.”
As the Senate would require twenty Republican votes to impeach the president, it was
largely predicted that Trump would be acquitted. Trump was acquitted.
