Donald Trump has been acquitted in an impeachment trial that saw him accused of inciting violence ahead of the deadly riots at the US Capitol in January.
The former US President was voted not guilty in the Senate this evening – in a historic impeachment trial that saw conviction mooted for an unprecedented second time.
Senators voted 57-43 to acquit the controversial New Yorker after a bruising trial that saw seven Republicans vote to convict.
The number of Republicans who voted to convict marks the highest-ever bipartisan support for conviction in any of the four impeachments in history.
For Trump, the vote means he avoids conviction for a second time, in his second impeachment trial in the Senate.
After the vote, Trump welcomed his acquittal, repeating his tired claims of a "witch hunt" and saying that his movement "has only just begun".
The acquittal was expected after many Republican senators indicated they would not vote to convict the property tycoon, who faced his second impeachment trial in 12 months.
Earlier today, the Senate pulled back from a vote to call witnesses in the trial, a move that laid the groundwork for his acquittal.
The trial came after a deeply controversial few months in which Democrats alleged Trump laid the foundations for a set of riots on January 6 that left five people dead.
Trump's legal team, who were offered 16 hours to present their defence, got through their arguments on Friday in less than three hours.
His attorney, Michael Van Der Veen, labelled "absurd" the prosecution's case for convicting his client.
“No thinking person could seriously believe that the president’s January 6th speech on The Ellipse was in any way an incitement to violence or insurrection. The suggestion is patently absurd,” he said.
“To claim that the president wished, desired or encouraged lawlessness or violent behaviour is a preposterous and monstrous lie.”
