Two U.S. senators from Kansas, Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, both Republicans, voted not guilty on Saturday in the impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump.
Trump had been charged with inciting an insurrection, in the Jan. 6 event at the U.S. Capitol, in which a mob overran the Senate and the Capitol at a time when the Senate was certifying the Electoral College vote for the presidential election.
The impeachment charges did not pass the Senate on Saturday. The vote was 57 guilty, 43 not guilty, and a two-thirds majority was required to pass. Besides Democrats, seven Republican senators and two independent senators voted guilty.
U.S. Congressional and Senate officeholders went into hiding during the riot, fearing for their lives. During the Jan. 6 event, according to the impeachment proceedings, a mob went through the Capitol, shouting, “Hang (former Vice President) Mike Pence.” Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the riot.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, issued this statement after voting not guilty:
“The violence at the United States Capitol on January 6 was an attempt to subvert democracy, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Rioters and extremists sought to prevent Members of Congress and Vice President Pence from performing their constitutional obligation to affirm the results of an election, and President Trump was wrong to continue to spread allegations of widespread fraud and not immediately discourage the reprehensible and unpatriotic behavior.
“The Constitution does not clearly state whether a former president can be tried for impeachment by the Senate, but I believe the impeachment process is intended to be used for considering whether or not ‘The President’ should be removed from office. Because former President Trump is no longer in office, I voted to acquit. Establishing the precedent that the Senate has jurisdiction to convict a former president would cause extreme damage to our country and the future of the presidency.”
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, issued this statement after he voted not guilty:
“This impeachment trial has kept us from doing the work we need to be focused on: getting the COVID-19 vaccine in to peoples’ arms, opening our economy back up, getting Americans back to work, as well as confirming an agriculture secretary to get the $1.5 billion in CARES funding out to farmers, ranchers, and folks who need help putting food on the table.
“This trial has brought to light just how much was known about the planning of the riot prior to January 6th and questions now linger as to what was known by Nancy Pelosi and security officials in the Capitol and across federal agencies ahead of time. One question does not remain and that is: What was the motivation of this trial? The motivation was political hatred and was simply a continuation of the four-year impeachment fixation on the part of the House Managers and the Democrat Party.
“Let me be clear, both sides of the aisle are guilty of heated rhetoric. But, equally guilty are the House Managers and the Democrats for their hypocrisy, and President Trump’s defense team painted that picture clearly.
“While I believe this entire trial was unconstitutional from the start, I hope that the failure to convict will put an end to the Democrat’s obsession and allow temperatures to finally settle and for us to work in a bipartisan fashion moving forward. It’s true, we face many challenges ahead as a nation. But, I remain confident there are brighter days ahead for Kansas and our entire country. It’s time for congress to get back to the work of the American people.”