The impeachment saga is over. What happened and what next?

By a vote of 52-48 and 53-47, President Trump was acquitted by the Senate on abuses of power last week. He became the first impeached president to be running for a second term. So what’s next?

Why was Trump impeached?

The impeachment inquiry was triggered by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on the 24th of September 2019 following a whistleblower’s complaint over a July phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. During that call, Trump asked for Zelensky to open two formal inquiries. One was based on a conspiracy theory that alleged that CrowdStrike, an American cybersecurity technology company, was connected to Ukrainian actors to interfere with the 2016 election. The other was an inquiry into the activities of the Bidens in Ukraine, notably Joe (who was polled to be Trump’s most likely candidate at the time) and Hunter, during their time associated with the Ukrainian company, Burisma Holdings. Both inquiries would have been done in cooperation with Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr.

Days prior to that call, Trump had withheld a military aid package worth $391 million that should have been sent to Ukraine, allegedly to enforce a quid pro quo situation with Zelensky. The withheld package was not discussed during the call, but Trump was heard saying that the United States had been “very, very good” to Ukraine. The implication was that the package would be released if an inquiry over the Bidens was opened.

In August, an anonymous intelligence official whistleblower wrote a letter to Congress expressing “urgent concern” that Trump had sought foreign interference in the upcoming 2020 election. Two days after the impeachment inquiry was opened, Trump stated that the whistleblower had committed treason and accused them of being a spy, before saying that treason was punishable by death.

In September, the impeachment inquiry was opened. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on two articles. Article One, abuse of power, was passed 230-197 (one vote of present). Two Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against the Article. Article Two, obstruction of Congress, was passed 229-198. Three Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against the article.

Signing of the articles of impeachment. The pens often become historical artifacts and are handed out as keepsakes.

After Acquittal

The Senate acquitted Mr Trump on both Articles, meaning he was not removed from office. If he had, the office would have been handed over to Vice-President Mike Pence.

The Trump campaign for re-election considers the acquittal a victory, claiming “the do-nothing Democrats know they can’t beat him, so they had to impeach him” and that the impeachment against Mr Trump would be considered as “the worst miscalculation in American political history.” Mr Trump also had his best approval rating to date – 49%.

Almost immediately afterwards, Mr Trump began to move against those who either voted or spoke against him. His first target was Senator Mitt Romney, the only Republican who voted in favor of removing the president, regarding the Senator as “a sore loser.” Despite calls to be ostracized from the party by other Republicans, Senator Romney has not yet stepped down nor switched parties, having been accused of identifying with the Democrats.

Senator Romney has faced criticism from his party

Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland was fired by Mr Trump on February 7th, as was Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, for testifying against the president. It has been reported that Mr Sondland planned to leave on his own terms following the Senate trials and that a group of senators had urged Mr Trump not to fire Sondland over concerns that it could backfire for his public image and that there was no purpose in firing him since he was planning to leave anyway.

Regarding Vindman, Trump stated that he was “very insubordinate” as an argument defending the firing of Vindman.

What now?

In short, campaigning. Trump will no doubt continue to flaunt his acquittal as evidence that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Is that the end of the impact of impeachment?

Unlikely.

The Democrats may have been unable to remove Trump, but they have put a black mark on his record as the third president to be impeached. Their hope is to attract moderates fed up with a presidency of lies and scandal, the impeachment as a marker of scandal.

Fifth place in New Hampshire. Is it all over for Biden?

For Joe Biden, it is seeming less likely he will win the democratic nomination. The current front-runners now are Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttgieg, and Amy Klobuchar. Despite no evidence of illicit activity in Ukraine, his association at the center of the impeachment inquiry turned off voters, who are likely now looking for a ‘clean-slate’ candidate.

Meanwhile, Trump has rallied his support base by framing the impeachment as a ‘witch hunt’ and that the process was the Washington establishment out the get him, and his supporters by extension.