Trump impeachment news: President tweets video boasting about re-election as Senate votes to acquit president
Donald Trump appeared at the National Prayer Breakfast in DC on Thursday morning brandishing aloft newspaper front pages announcing his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial on Wednesday, using the occasion to attack House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Utah senator Mitt Romney over their criticism of him.
The Senate vote on the two articles laid against him by the House of Representatives – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – was split largely along party lines with only Mr Romney daring to break ranks, denouncing the president’s “appalling abuse of public trust” in an emotional speech from the floor that earned him the ire of a vengeful Republican Party, with members calling for his expulsion and likening him to Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold.
Mr Trump is set to give an address from the White House today “to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax”, with White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham ominously telling Fox News he plans to talk about “how horribly he was treated and that maybe people should pay for that”.
The Trump administration is punishing New Yorkers in retaliation for the city's so-called "sanctuary city" policies, which allow people without legal permission to be in the US to apply for driver's licences and prohibits the DMV from providing any of its data to entities that enforce immigration law unless a judge orders them to do so.
The president is launching an offensive against Mitt Romney following the Utah Senator's lone Republican "guilty" vote in his impeachment trial.
They've had an interesting public relationship, mostly consisting of them insulting each other until they need to win an election. A working relationship in the interest of party unity now seems off the table.
More from Donald Trump's acquittal speech: The president claimed he effectively did nothing wrong in his Ukraine dealings that sparked an official impeachment inquiry in the US House of Representatives -
The Independent's Washington Bureau Chief John Bennett has more on Donald Trump's attacks against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the National Prayer Breakfast that was held just before the president's acquittal speech:
During one particularly contentious moment of the president's acquittal speech, he referred to the Russia investigations against him as "bulls***" and attacked those who led the probes, including former FBI Director James Comey:
Donald Trump has concluded his raucous speech celebrating his acquittal in the US Senate's impeachment trial this week. Stay tuned for more updates and analysis.
Donald Trump is wrapping up his speech about the US Senate's impeachment trial against him by calling his ex-FBI director a "sleazebag" and reading text messages penned by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok. He also suggested those leading the probes against him were the "crookedest and most dishonest people".
Donald Trump is attacking "low lives" and celebrating Republicans who he describes as "straight out of central casting" while claiming victory in the US Senate's impeachment trial. The president has spent nearly an hour attacking the process after he was acquitted yesterday, suggesting the probes have plagued his administration and claiming his family has been treated poorly in the process.
Donald Trump praises Republican Steve Scalise, who was shot during a Republican practice for a baseball game, calling the shooter a "wackjob" and saying the congressman looks better now after being shot.
"You weren't that good looking," the president says to laughter. "Now, you look better!"
Meanwhile, as Donald Trump delivers a speech about his acquittal in the US Senate's impeachment trial, Democratic leaders are calling for an official recanvassing of the Iowa caucus results:
This speech has gone completely off the rails, as presumed. Donald Trump says Republican Jim Jordan is “obviously very proud of his body” before pointing out that “there’s something going on with his ears”.
