Senate acquittal: Democrats may nail Trump with another strategy

Although seven Republicans were in favour of his impeachment on Saturday, Trump was exonerated by a vote of 57-43 guilty – not guilty.

It was the 45th President’s second good luck at the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress in twelve months.

In February 2020, the Senate acquitted him after the House of Representatives’ conviction for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Last month, the lower chamber again impeached Trump for the January 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. The charge was “incitement of insurrection”.

With Trump’s victory at the Senate, the Democrats may use another legislation to punish him.

The strategy is to block the ex-American leader from occupying any position in future – by election or appointment.

The Democrats might invoke the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. They believe this is realistic, considering only a simple-majority vote is required to nail their target.

The 14th Amendment says Congress can bar people who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding offices.

“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” it reads.

Trump called the impeachment trial another phase of the greatest witch hunt in U.S. history.

“No president has ever gone through anything like it… In the months ahead, I have much to share with you (Americans)”, his statement read in part.