Anti-Trump protests held across the U.S. following impeachment acquittal

Protesters outside the U.S. Capitol. — (Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Thousands of demonstrators attended "Reject the Cover-Up" protests across the United States on Wednesday evening, after the Senate impeachment trial ended with President Trump's acquittal.

Trump was impeached by the House in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Hundreds gathered outside of the Capitol, where Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) declared, "I will focus my ire on Senate Republicans. Shame on you, Mitch McConnell." About 50 people held a sit-in inside the building, chanting, "Trump is guilty!" One demonstrator, Sara Anzalone, told USA Today she believes "getting a foreign power to interfere with our country is just completely against the Constitution and completely out of his power. And I really think that he should be held responsible, and it really kind of makes me pissed off that he could have been held accountable today."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

In Boston, protesters praised Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the former governor of Massachusetts. He was the only Republican to vote "guilty" on the abuse of power charge, and one protester carried a sign that read, "Thanks, Mitt! Now let's censure."

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.