Sen. Josh Hawley on proposal to set deadline for impeachment articles: Time for the Senate to fight back
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is subverting the Constitution by refusing to present the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate, says Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., joined fellow Republicans Monday to introduce a resolution allowing the chamber to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Trump for lack of prosecution, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delays sending the case for trial.
The resolution would update Senate rules to allow the chamber to bring a motion dismissing the articles.
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"The House Speaker is trying to run the United States Senate, she is trying to hijack the trial, she is trying to obstruct the trial," Hawley said Monday on "Hannity."
File photo - U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee March 12, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
"She is really subverting the constitution because the constitution says the House has the power to impeach, the Senate has the power to try the case...and it's time for the Senate to fight back."
The Senate has a set of 26 rules that govern all impeachment proceedings, which presume a “prompt delivery of the articles of impeachment to the Senate following their adoption by the House.”
Hawley’s resolution would allow the Senate to dismiss the articles of impeachment for lack of prosecution, once the House has withheld articles for 25 calendar days or more. Under the proposed rule, any senator would be able to move to dismiss the articles once the time period has elapsed. That motion would then be voted upon by the full Senate.
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Pelosi has held the articles of impeachment for 20 days. The House voted to adopt the articles on Dec. 18, 2019.
"We heard nothing but how urgent it was that the president be removed...now...no urgency at all and I think that that shows the only urgency on the part of the Democrats and Pelosi was an urgency to pursue their personal vendetta against the president of the United States," Hawley said of the delay.
"They never accepted his election, they never wanted him in office...but now when it's time to put up or shut up, and actually put their evidence forward, they're afraid to do it because they don't have any evidence. It's a sham."
"The Senate is ready to have a trial, the president deserves to have a trial, the American people deserve a trial so we can put this thing to rest," Hawley said.
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At the center of the inquiry is Trump’s efforts to press Ukraine to launch politically related investigations — regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s dealings in Ukraine, as well as issues related to the 2016 presidential election.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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