CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. — two days after voting to find former President Donald Trump guilty of inciting last month’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — said Monday he is confident all West Virginians and Americans will believe the former president’s actions leading up to Jan. 6 were wrong.
“I know people are starting to look past all of this and see the truth, the effect of what things are happening, and what the president has said and not been accurate,” he said on “MetroNews Talkline.”
“I think as they see this go by, they will so also that what he has done was absolutely treacherous to our country.”
The Senate acquitted the former president on Saturday; all Democrats and seven Republicans voted to convict Trump. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., voted to find Trump not guilty for his actions.
Manchin noted he knows there will be blowback regarding his vote, but part of his job as a senator includes serving as an independent jurist during impeachment trials.
“If you’re a jurist, you’ve got to look at the evidence and you make a decision,” he said. “You took an oath of office to do a job to protect and defend the Constitution, and that’s who we are. The rule of law’s the bedrock of our country.”
Capito explained Saturday she disagreed with convicting Trump because he is now a private citizen. She additionally described the Jan. 6 violence as “completely unacceptable,” and noted Trump’s actions related to the presidential election and the riot were inappropriate.
“President Trump was removed from office in the manner most befitting our democracy, by a vote of the people,” she said.
“Impeachment is incredibly divisive and is not what Congress should be focused on right now. Our nation is hurting. Americans across our country continue to struggle from a pandemic that has wreaked havoc on our economy and communities. Our attention needs to be focused on delivering real solutions that help these individuals, families, and businesses recover fully.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Monday in a letter to colleagues plans for an independent commission to investigate the insurrection.