McConnell s decision, confirmed to The Hill by a GOP senator, comes hours before the Senate is expected to take a final vote on whether to convict Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors over an article accusing him of inciting insurrection during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
McConnell has criticized Trump s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including saying the former president provoked the mob. He disclosed to reporters last month that he hadn t spoken to Trump, with whom he aligned himself closely for years, since Dec. 15.
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But he also kept his caucus guessing on how he would ultimately vote, saying that he wanted to listen to the arguments from both House impeachment managers and Trump s legal team.
Senators voted 57-43 on whether to convict Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors for “willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.”
Every Democrat voted to find him “guilty,” the question technically before the Senate, and they were joined by seven GOP senators falling short of the necessary 67 votes, or two-thirds majority, needed for conviction.
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The vote comes roughly five weeks after the attack on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the counting of President Biden
The aftermath of the attack is still visible around the Capitol, where a fenced perimeter surrounds Capitol Hill and National Guard troops remain stationed around the complex.