WASHINGTON, D.C. -- North Carolina’s senators voted Wednesday to acquit President Donald Trump of both articles of impeachment.
Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis - both Republicans - joined with nearly all of their GOP colleagues in the upper chamber in declaring the president ‘not guilty’ of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Article 1, abuse of power, failed with a 48-52 vote. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican to join with Democrats to vote to convict Mr. Trump. A two-thirds majority of the 100 member chamber was required to remove the president.
Article 2, obstruction of Congress, failed with a party-line vote of 47-53.
The acquittal - long expected in the GOP-led chamber - capped off a historic two-week trial, only the third such presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history.
Tillis, who told reporters he was a “definite no” on removing the president in mid-December, blasted the impeachment push as "partisan."
“I’m glad that we disposed of it in the way that we did. It needs to be used as the last resort for some activity that really rises to the level of a crime,” he said in an interview ahead of the vote.
RELATED: Where North Carolina's Senators Stand on Impeachment
Both senators also raised concerns about how the House conducted the impeachment investigation, suggesting it was rushed and incomplete.
“The House had ample opportunity to pursue the answers to its inquiry in order to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. They chose not to do so,” Burr wrote in a statement. “Instead, investigators followed an arbitrary, self-imposed timeline dictated by political, rather than substantive, concerns.”
Across the aisle, Tar Heel State Democrats defended the House’s handling of the investigation, while criticizing the Senate for not hearing from additional witnesses like John Bolton, the former national security advisor.
In a statement, Rep. David Price, D-4th District, accused the Senate Republicans who voted to block additional witnesses and documents of aiding in a “cover-up.”
On the accusations against Mr. Trump, Price said, “This is not only something he’s guilty of but it’s a betrayal of the country, a corruption of our diplomacy. It is exactly what the founders had in mind when they drew up the impeachment clause.”
Rep. GK Butterfield, D-1st District, said in a statement the Senate’s vote to acquit Mr. Trump “dealt a severe blow” to the Constitution.
The bitter division on Capitol Hill stoked by impeachment may not let up any time soon.
With the 2020 election cycle kicking into high gear, some lawmakers said the impeachment fallout may motivate voters and impact voter thinking.
“I think this has been clarifying for American people, that there’s not a policy agenda from the Democrats," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-10th District. "It is just a Trump obsession that they have had."
“I think it's going to encourage people to go and vote, because they will not be happy with the fact that we have a president who can do any and everything and not be held accountable for it,” said Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District.