Mitch McConnell Surprises No One by Telling Colleagues He Will Vote to Acquit Trump

BY Todd Neikirk February 13, 2021

It began on January 6th when Mitch McConnell gave a stirring speech criticizing attempts to overturn the election. He didn’t mention Donald Trump by name, but it was clear who he was talking about.

LEXINGTON, KY – OCTOBER 12: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a debate with Democratic challenger Amy McGrath on October 12, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. The debate would be the first, and possibly the last one, to be held as McConnell and McGrath campaign for the Senatorial office. (Photo by Michael Clubb-Pool/Getty Images)

Following that speech, there have been rumors that McConnell could vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial. The results of Georgia’s special elections showed that Trump may be an albatross across the GOP’s neck.

But many expected that in the long run, McConnell would acquit Trump. On Saturday morning, that became a reality when the Senate Majority Leader penned a letter about his decision to colleagues.

He wrote, “The constitution makes perfectly clear that Presidential criminal misconduct while in office can be prosecuted after the President has left office, which in my mind alleviates the otherwise troubling “January exception” argument raised by the house. Given these conclusions, I will vote to acquit.”

Politico’s Burgess Everett did note, “McConnell says it was a ‘close call’ but says impeachment is ‘primarily a tool of removal’ and the Senate lacks jurisdiction. He says criminal conduct by a president in office can be prosecuted when the president is out of office.”

You can read the entire statement from McConnell below:

McConnell says it was a “close call” but says impeachment is “primarily a tool of removal” and the Senate lacks jurisdiction . He says criminal conduct by a president in office can be prosecuted when the president is out of office pic.twitter.com/JGMTjCp2OL

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) February 13, 2021