Sen. Mazie Hirono says Trump 'wasn't acquitted' because he had a 'rigged' impeachment trial

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Acquitted: Senate finds Trump not guilty of abuse of power, obstruction of Congress

The Senate acquits President Trump on two articles of impeachment; Former chief of staff to Sen. Mitch McConnell Josh Holmes weighs in.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, boldly claimed on Thursday that President Trump wasn't actually acquitted because the Senate impeachment trial was "rigged."

Despite the failure to get enough votes to convict Trump on the two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, Hirono appeared on CNN and insisted that the president was never truly acquitted.

"The Senate has clearly spoken now. The president was acquitted," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said.

"No, Wolf. He wasn't acquitted. It was a rigged trial," Hirono interrupted. "You don't get acquited when you don't even get to call witnesses or relevant witnesses or have the documents because the president stonewalled all efforts on behalf of the House to get the information they requested. So there you go! It was a rigged trial."

She continued, "[Trump] can go run around saying he was acquitted, but you don't get acquitted in a rigged trial."

Blitzer pushed back against the senator's claim.

"There was a roll call, guilty or not guilty, not guilty was the majority," Blitzer told Hiromo. "And the Chief Justice of the United States announced that he was acquitted, that he was not guilty."

"But the American public knows that it was a rigged trial, so okay, you're found not guilty in a rigged trial. I don't think that they think that this was all kosher. No, it wasn't," Hiromo shot back. "So meanwhile, you have the president crowing about it, which is totally expected and now it's anything goes for this president and this administration."