Mitt Romney Votes To Convict Trump of Abuse of Power

The vote makes him the first U.S. Senator in history to support removing a president from his own party.

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) voted to convict President Trump for abuse of power. The vote makes him the first U.S. Senator in history to support removing a president from his own party.   

“I believe that attempting to corrupt an election to maintain power is about as egregious an assault on the Constitution as can be made,” Romney explained on the Senate floor. “And for that reason, it is a high crime and misdemeanor, and I have no choice under the oath that I took but to express that conclusion.”
 
The Senate issued a final verdict in President Trump’s impeachment trial on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in his acquittal. 
 
According to CBS, each senator had 10 minutes each throughout the day to explain their prospective vote, which is scheduled around 4 pm. Following his speech on the Senate floor, Fox News aired an interview the Romney taped earlier in the day, in which he reiterated the decision was "the most difficult decision I've ever made in my life.”
 
"I've got broad enough shoulders to be able to weather personal changes in my career, political or otherwise," he continued to Fox's Chris Wallace. "But what I don't have is the capacity to ignore my conscience."

Another Republican Senator who expressed an openness to convict Trump was Susan Collins. But on Tuesday she said that she thought Trump had learned “a pretty big lesson” from his impeachment and would vote to acquit him.

Romney’s decision has garnered praise from the House impeachment managers, and backlash from fellow Republicans.