North Carolina’s two Republican senators offered a split decision Saturday in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Sen. Richard Burr joined six other Republican members and all Democrat Senators in voting to convict.
“As I said on January 6th, the President bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Therefore, I have voted to convict,” Burr said in a statement. “I do not make this decision lightly, but I believe it is necessary.
“By what he did and by what he did not do, President Trump violated his oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Fellow Republican Sen. Thom Tillis voted to acquit Trump.
The Senate voted 57-43 on the sole impeachment article of incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 storming on the U.S. Capitol. That vote fell short of the 67 votes, a two-thirds supermajority, necessary for conviction.
Burr’s vote to convict Trump prompted a response from N.C. Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley.
“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution, and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” Whatley said in an emailed statement.