The spectre of Trump still hangs over the Republican Party – of that there is no doubt

The end of the former president’s impeachment shows how split the GOP is, writes Chris Stevenson

Mitch McConnell’s speech upset a number of Democrats (Getty)

Donald Trump’s impeachment ended up exactly where the majority thought it would – with the former president acquitted, but the political divide between the Republicans and the Democrats as entrenched as ever.

For the Democrats, a 57-43 vote in favour of conviction on the incitement of insurrection charge marks a victory of sorts, with a number of GOP members being convinced to actually vote against Trump. It may have fallen short of the two-thirds of the Senate needed to allow a vote on banning Trump from holding office in future, but Democrats will take it.

It was the conduct of the minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, that seemed to really stick in the throat of many. The Republican said that the former president’s conduct preceding the events at the US Capitol on 6 January amounted to a “disgraceful dereliction of duty” – adding that he found Trump “practically, and morally, responsible for provoking the events of the day”.