Washington, Feb 6: U.S. president Donald Trump drew on staunch Republican support to defeat the gravest threat yet to his three-year-old presidency on Wednesday, winning acquittal in the Senate on impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Only the third U.S. leader ever placed on trial, Trump readily defeated the Democratic-led effort to expel him from office for having illicitly sought help from Ukraine to bolster his 2020 re-election effort.
Trump immediately claimed "victory" while the White House declared it a full "exoneration" for the president -- even as Democrats rejected the acquittal as the "valueless" outcome of an unfair trial.
Despite being confronted with strong evidence, Republicans stayed loyal and mustered a majority of votes to clear the president of both charges -- by 52 to 48 on abuse of power and 53 to 47 on obstruction of Congress -- falling far short of the two-thirds supermajority required for conviction.
"Two thirds of the senators present not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein, it is therefore ordered and adjudged that the said Donald John Trump be, and he is hereby, acquitted," said Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts, who presided over the trial.
The months-long impeachment of the 45th US leader shone a harsh light on America's political divide, with Trump's core support base united behind him in rejecting it as a "hoax."
One Republican, senator Mitt Romney, a longtime Trump foe, risked White House wrath to vote alongside Democrats on the first count, saying Trump was "guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust." He voted not guilty on the second charge.
But the verdict was never truly in question since the House of Representatives formally impeached Trump in December, and has now cleared out a major hurdle for the president to fully plunge into his campaign for re-election in November.
Trump to speak Thursday
Responding to the verdict, Trump announced he would deliver a formal statement Thursday from the White House "to discuss our Country's VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!"
Shortly before, the president tweeted a montage depicting a fake cover of Time magazine declaring him president for all eternity.
The White House declared that Trump had obtained "full vindication and exoneration."
But Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker and top Democrat in Congress, said that by clearing Trump, the Republicans had "normalized lawlessness."
"There can be no acquittal without a trial, and there is no trial without witnesses, documents and evidence," she said.
"Sadly, because of the Republican Senate's betrayal of the Constitution, the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy, with his insistence that he is above the law and that he can corrupt the elections if he wants to."
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the acquittal was "virtually valueless" since Republicans refused witnesses at his trial.
'Forever impeached'
The Democrats' intense 78-day House investigation faced public doubts and high-pressure stonewalling from the White House.
Concerned about the political risk for the party, Pelosi rejected a call early last year to impeach Trump on evidence compiled by then-special counsel Robert Mueller that he had obstructed the Russia election meddling investigation.
But her concerns melted after new allegations surfaced in August that Trump had pressured Ukraine for help for his 2020 campaign.
Though doubtful from the outset that they would win support from Republicans, an investigation amassed with surprising speed strong evidence to support the allegations.
The evidence showed that from early in 2019, Trump's private lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a close political ally, Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, were scheming to pressure Kiev to help smear Democrats, including Trump's potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, by opening investigations into them.
"We must say enough -- enough! He has betrayed our national security, and he will do so again," Adam Schiff, who led the House investigation, argued on the Senate floor this week.
"He has compromised our elections, and he will do so again," Schiff said.
'Colossal' mistake
In the trial, Trump's defence was not seen as having undermined the facts compiled by Schiff's probe, and several Republican senators acknowledged he did wrong.
But his lawyers and Senate defenders argued, essentially, that Trump's behaviour was not egregious enough for impeachment and removal.
And, pointing to the December House impeachment vote, starkly along party lines, they painted it as a political effort to "destroy the president" in an election year and insisted voters should be allowed to decide Trump's fate.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said impeachment will benefit Republicans.
"Right now this is a political loser for them. They initiated it. They thought this was a great idea. At least for the short term, it has been a colossal political mistake."
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Ella sahodarammarkk oru advise, nanga nanga penagitt nangalo onnamatho dushman BJP gellum pole aakiranda, please please ninga ellarum onnaitt genduro chance ullo nangalo oru candidate barumpole aakonu, nangalo raya innoru UP do pole aakiranda
Brother,
Being in respectable position as a minister, he should have thought twice before making a statement. If somebody scribbles against him or speaks against him in social media like Fb and whatsapp let him file a case against them. Or let him condemn them. ಇವರನ್ನು ಟೀಕಿಸಿದವರೆಲ್ಲ ಢೋಂಗಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಗಲ್ಫ್ ಗೆ ಹೋದವರಾ? . ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತನಾಡುವಾಗ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಚಿಂತಿಸಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದರೆ ಅವರ ಘನತೆಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು.
In next election, people will decide who is the best loafer and teach him a good lesson. #Ashrafbhai Nxt Mla #UTK Koragajjana gudige
UT Khader Saab. Most of the NRIs from your region know very well that some of your opponents are not just loafers but are ugliest creatures and communal goons. But you don’t lose cool and respond to them in public. Let them go to hell. We are with you. You are a role model for many. So kindly don’t react to the loafers in their own language.
My humble request to UTK is to ignore the cheap level criticism by communal goons. Be it Bajrangis or SDPI. They really don’t deserve the attention of a great social worker and politician like UTK.
UT Khader has not twisted his statement. He never said that all NRIs are Dongi Maadi Gulf ge hodavaru. He said that Dongi Maddi gulf ge hodavaru trying to teach him how to live. And he doesn’t care them. That’s true. Nirva Modi and Vijay Malya also included in dongi parties.
ಯು. ಟಿ ಖಾದರ್ ಓರ್ವ ಶಾಸಕ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಚಿವ ಎಂಬ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜಾತಿ, ಮತ, ಧರ್ಮ ಪಂಗಡದವರು ಅವರವರ ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳಿಗೆ ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಜನ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿ ಎಂಬ ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಖಾದರ್‌ರವರು ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ, ದೈವಸ್ಥಾನ, ಚರ್ಚು, ಮಸೀದಿ, ಉರೂಸ್, ಸುನ್ನಿ, ಎಪಿ, ಈಕೆ, ಸಲಫಿ, ಜಮಾತೆ ಇಸ್ಲಾಂ ಎಂಬ ಬೇಧ ಬಾವ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರವರ ನಂಬಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಗೌರವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಂತೆಯೇ ಕೆಲ ದಿನಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಕೊರಗಜ್ಜ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲೂ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿದ್ದರು. ಪ್ರತೀ ವರ್ಷವೂ ಅವರು ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಖಾದರ್ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿತ್ತಾರೆ ಇದನ್ನೇ ನೆಪವಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಕೆಲವರು ವಿದೇಶದಿಂದ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣದ ಮೂಲಕ ನಿರಂತರ ಖಾದರ್‌ರವರನ್ನು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಹೀನಾಯವಾಗಿ ಹಿಯ್ಯಾಳಿಸಲು ತೊಡಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಕ್ರಿಯರಾಗಿರುವವರು ಅದನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿರಬಹುದು. ಖಾದರ್‌ರವರನ್ನು ಹಿಯ್ಯಾಳಿಸಲು ಅವರು ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಶಬ್ದ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾಷೆ ಯಾರನ್ನೂ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ರೊಚ್ಚಿಗೆಬ್ಬಿಸುವಷ್ಟು ಕೆಟ್ಟದ್ದಾಗಿರುತಿತ್ತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆಯಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬರಹಗಳೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಪ್ರಚೋದನಾತ್ಮಕ ವಾಗಿರಿತ್ತಿತ್ತು.
ಈ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ವಿಚಾರವನ್ನು ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಅವರಿಗೇ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿ ಉರೂಸ್ ಸಮಾರಂಭದ ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಖಾದರ್‌ರವರು... "ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಮೋಸಮಾಡಿ ವಿದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಕುಳಿತು ನನಗೆ ಬುದ್ದಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಾನು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಕಡೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ, ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ .. ನಾನು ತಪ್ಪಿದರೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ತಿದ್ದಲು ಉಲೆಮಾಗಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಈ ಲೋಫರ್ ಗಳಿಂದ ನಾನು ಪಾಠ ಕಲಿಯುವ ಅಗತ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ...." ಎಂದು
ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಈ ವಿಡಿಯೋದ ತುಣುಕನ್ನು ವೈರಲ್ ಮಾಡಿ ವಿದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿಗಳನ್ನು ಖಾದರ್ ಅವಮಾನ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಬಿಂಬಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವುದನ್ನು ನಾವು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಈಗಲು ಕೆಲವರು ಖಾದರ್ ವಿರುಧ್ಧದ ತಮ್ಮ ಬರಹ ಹಾಗೂ ವಾಯ್ಸ್ ಮೆಸ್ಸೇಜುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತೀರಾ ಕೆಟ್ಟ ಶಬ್ಧ ಭಾಷೆ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಮರ್ಯಾದೆಯನ್ನು ಮೀರಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರು ಖಾದರ್ ಪರ ವಿರೋಧ ಚರ್ಚೆಗಳು ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಮಾನ ಹರಾಜು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿದೆ ಇದು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೇ ನಿಲ್ಲಲಿ ಎಂಬುದು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾವಂತ ಮುಸ್ಲಿಮರ ಅಪೇಕ್ಷೆ.
UTK has insulted innocent loafers by calling communal goons as loafers
Mr. U T Khader,
Please do not twist your statement. You clearly made a statement " Dongi maadi gulfge hodavaru". Even i was a huge admirer of you till date for your simple nature and work which you have done during your tenure as a minister and MLA. But that one statement has made a big difference. I watched the video 2 to 3 times to check about the background. You were referring to a group which conducts meeting in hills(gudde) under torch light. But hope you remember that same group was in your favor when you first contested for bye-election after your father's demise. My request is not to have over confidence, which may result in ego and ultimately result in losing. So many egoistic emperors in the world have lost their empire and power. Therefore, you are not a match at all. If you want to condemn a particular group or party, name it and condemn it in specific & do not make generalized statement. Your statement of "DONGI MAADI GULFGE HOGIDDU" has hurt the sentiments of NRI community who have come here away from their families to earn a livelihood.
Kindly take your time to tender an apology for your words. May Almighty Allah bless you with good health and strength to serve the society and community in a better way.
I think in this state election only one thing will happen for sure "Ibbara Jagala Muraneyavanige Laaba"...
Last year Sangh Parivar leaders were hurt when UT Khader said those who oppose constitution should be hit with slipper. This clearly proved that they oppose constitution. Now some SDPI leaders are hurt when UT Khader said that he wants to learn lesson from Ulema and not from loafer or a person who avoids work and spends time doing useless things. This also proved who are loafers.
“Loafer” is not an abusive or derogatory word. “Communal” is more abusive and insulting word compared to “Loafer”.
Election won't decide anyone's fate. Fate will be decided by the Creator. Our prayers are with self-less politicans like UT Khader.
Feel very sad to see some fringe groups unnecessarily pulling the legs of an honest politician in the name of religion. When I embraced Islam several years ago Muslims used to spend time by fighting each other on religious matters and absurd rituals like Urus, Maulid, ratheeb etc. Now Muslims are fighting with each other by forming political parties. When these Muslims will learn lessons? When they realise their responsibilities? When they stop petty politics?
First of all loafer is not an abusive word. It just means an idle person or a ‘poli huduga’ in Kannada. But the uneducated loafers do not know the meaning of loafer i think. That’s why they making it a big issue.
Dikkara ninage Mr Khader
Bara barutha raayara kudure katthe yaayithu.....
Khader bhai... muslim community had very good hope on you & supported you on full extent... But you are going towards normal politician behind money & seat.... SUPPORT doesnt mean that only to muslims... A true leader will treat all community fair & equally... which congress & other party leaders couldnt do... Instead you are blaming our muslim brothers without having basic knowledge.... Politician doesnt understand normal person way of living that how they spend daily life & how much efforts they are taking to fulfill their family needs...
In sha allah your fate will be decided in this election..
Let the Election results tell who are loafers and cheaters In sha Allah.
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