Josh Hawley to Introduce Legislation Dismissing ‘Bogus Impeachment’ Trial

Josh Hawley
Getty Images/ Chip Somodevilla
Sean Moran

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said Thursday he will introduce legislation to dismiss the Democrats’ impeachment trial, calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) withholding of the articles of impeachment an “abuse of the Constitution.”

Sen. Hawley, a former Missouri attorney general, said he will introduce a bill on Monday to dismiss the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump because Democrats have yet to send the articles of impeachment to Congress’s upper chamber.

“Dems said impeachment was URGENT. Now they don’t want to have a trial, because they have no evidence,” Sen. Hawley tweeted. “In real world, if prosecution doesn’t proceed with case, it gets dismissed. So on Monday, I will introduce measure to dismiss this bogus impeachment for lack of prosecution”:
The Missouri conservative claimed his legislation would expose the Democrats’ cynical move to oust the president, claiming that impeachment amounts to an “abuse of the Constitution.”

“This will expose Dems’ circus for what it is: a fake impeachment, abuse of the Constitution, based on no evidence. If Dems won’t proceed with trial, bogus articles should be dismissed and @realDonaldTrump fully cleared,” Sen. Hawley added.

 Since House Democrats moved to impeach the president in December, House Speaker Pelosi has yet to send the two articles of impeachment to the Senate, worrying that Senate Republicans will quickly move to dismiss the impeachment trial. The articles of impeachment charge that President Trump abused the office of the presidency and obstructed Congress.

“So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us,” she said in December.

Hawley’s contention echoes Harvard law Professor Alan Dershowitz’s reasoning that Pelosi’s withholding of the articles of impeachment is an “abuse of power” and an “obstruction of the Senate.”

Dershowitz said in December:

If he has been impeached, the Senate has to start its trial as soon as they choose to,” Dershowitz continued. “Remember, the Senate is the sole judge of guilty or innocence of impeachment. And so the Democrats can’t have it both ways. They can’t sound the one hand — to the public we are saying he is impeached, but for the Senate, we’re saying he is not impeached. You know what I say? This is obstruction of the Senate — exactly the same charge that made against the president.

“This is abuse of power from exactly the same charge they made against the president. It is wrong constitutionally. It is wrong morally. And it is wrong politically,” he added.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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