Roughly three weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump. Though at the time, Democrats insisted that urgent action was needed, such sentiments seem to have dissipated, given that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) still hasn’t sent either article to the Senate for a trial.
Fox News reported that on Monday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and several GOP co-sponsors introduced a resolution that would allow the Senate to dismiss both impeachment articles for lack of prosecution.
Senators move for dismissal
“In the real world, when a prosecutor brings a case but refuses to try it, the court has the ability and the defendant has the right – the constitutional right, I might add — to have those articles, those indictments, those charges dismissed,” Hawley said on the Senate floor as the measure was put forward.
“That,” he continued, “is precisely the action that I am proposing today.”
Hawley isn’t acting alone: his resolution was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Rick Scott (FL), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Mike Braun (IN), Ted Cruz (TX), John Barrasso (WY), Steve Daines (MT), Tom Cotton (AK), Joni Ernst (IA), Jim Inhofe (OK), and David Perdue (GA).
In addition to making his case from the Senate floor, Hawley also posted a statement on his website arguing for dismissal.
“Speaker Pelosi started this bogus impeachment by claiming President Trump was an urgent ‘threat to democracy’ who had to be removed now,” it read.
“But after a bipartisan vote against the articles in the House, and with the public opposed to the Democrats’ partisan games, Pelosi has changed her tune,” the statement claimed.
“Now she wants to prevent a Senate trial, perhaps indefinitely. But the Constitution gives the Senate sole power to adjudicate articles of impeachment, not the House,” Hawley declared.
Time to move on
“If Speaker Pelosi is afraid to try her case, the articles should be dismissed for failure to prosecute and Congress should get back to doing the people’s business,” the Senator from Missouri concluded.
Meanwhile, Sen. Blackburn released a statement of her own, tweeting, “Impeachment shouldn’t be playing out like an episode of House of Cards. If Pelosi fails to send the articles promptly over to the Senate, we should hold a vote to dismiss them and get on with our work.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has had his patience exhausted as well, declaring on Monday, “Their turn is over. They’ve done enough damage. It’s the Senate’s turn now to render sober judgment.”
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