To no one's surprise, the Senate voted to acquit the president of the charges filed against him in the articles of impeachment. What was a surprise, however, was that Mitt Romney, a Republican senator from Utah and a former presidential candidate, voted "guilty" on the first of the two impeachment charges -- abuse of power.
The repercussions of his decision may well be abusive against him and his family, but he cited his religious beliefs in the importance of right and wrong that were a major factor in his decision. Romney is a devout Mormon.
The final vote was 52-48, as more than half the senators voted for acquittal. Conviction would require a two-thirds majority -- 67 guilty votes.
On the second charge, defiance of subpoenas and obstruction of Congress, Romney voted with his fellow Republicans to clear the president of the allegation that defiance of congressional subpoenas equaled abuse of power. The final vote on that charge was 53 not guilty, and 47 guilty.
Many of the president's supporters acknowledge that he did in fact do many of the things he was accused of doing in the impeachment charges, but that they did not rise to the level needed to remove him from office.
Instead, they said, the decision should be left up to voters in the coming election. To convict him now and remove him from office, they argued, would be to nullify the previous election.
A swift reaction from editorialists hinged largely on the idea that the verdict amounted to permission for the president -- any president -- to do whatever he likes, regardless of law or tradition. Or, as Trump himself claimed, "Article Two of the Constitution says I can do whatever I want."
The White House said the president would make a public announcement on his reaction tomorrow, Thursday, February 6.
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