Although former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial ended Feb. 13 in an acquittal on a 57-43 vote – falling short of the 67 votes required for a conviction – U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, one of the nine House impeachment managers who prosecuted the case, said in an interview with TIME that the number of Republican senators voting to convict was an eye-opener.

“Am I disappointed that we weren’t able to secure the sufficient number of votes to convict? Of course,” Neguse said in the interview posted online Monday. “Many of the senators made very clear their view, long before the trial even commenced, that they had no plans to convict. So for me, the surprise of the trial was the senators who chose to cross party lines and ultimately voted to convict.”

The Lafayette Democrat, serving his second term representing Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, collected bipartisan praise for his detailed legal arguments and evocative rhetoric – and according to Maryland’s Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, it was well-earned.

“I think he has read more than anybody on our team in terms of the history of impeachment trials,” Raskin said. “He was ready for everything.”

Raskin noted that the 36-year-old Neguse, the son of Eritrean refugees, could speak authoritatively about the idealism at the core of his arguments.

“Joe’s family is recent enough to America that he could talk about our country as a miracle to behold for people coming here from oppressive circumstances around the world,” Raskin said.

In the interview, Neguse describes putting in long hours preparing for the five-day trial, with a nightly FaceTime call to his wife and young daughter back home in Colorado before ordering dinner at 11 p.m. and then continuing with his work.

After seven GOP senators voted to convict Trump – more senators than had ever voted to convict a president of their own party – Neguse said: “It is clear to me that history will not look kindly on his conduct, or those who enabled it. We did our part.”

Read the full interview for insight into Neguse’s trial strategy, including which senator he targeted with some of his most powerful arguments about choosing principle over partisan loyalty.