Hillary Clinton could face impeachment as a private citizen and prohibition from running for office ever again under the precedent set during the trial of former President Donald Trump, his lawyer said Friday.
“This could happen to … the former secretary of state,” lawyer Michael van der Veen told senators, according to the Washington Times. “It could happen to a lot of people. That’s not the way this is supposed to work.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) asked if Trump’s impeachment trial “would create a new precedent” for former officials such as Clinton.
“Is it not true that under this new precedent, facing calls to ‘lock her up,’ a future House could impeach a former Secretary of State and potentially disqualify her from any future office?” Rubio questioned.
“If you see it their way, yes,” van der Veen stated, in reference to House Democrat impeachment managers.
Lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) commented that the hypothetical question “has no bearing on this case.”
“This official was not impeached in office for conduct while in office,” he said, but did not reference Clinton’s name.
In a tweet Friday, Clinton urged officials to convict Trump:
Fulfill your oath.
Convict him.
Disqualify him from using the power of elected office to incite deadly insurrection again.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 12, 2021
However, the Senate voted Saturday to acquit Trump of charges that he incited an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, Breitbart News reported.
“The Senate voted 57-43, meaning that the chamber failed to clear the 67-vote threshold necessary to convict Trump of the charge that he incited an insurrection on January 6, when Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential election,” the article read.
Trump celebrated his second impeachment acquittal after the trial concluded and asserted Democrats moved forward with the “witch hunt” because almost 75 million Americans voted for his re-election.
“This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country,” he wrote. “No president has ever gone through anything like it.”
“Our historic, patriotic, and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun,” Trump continued, adding that he had much to share in the coming months.
“I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people,” he concluded.
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