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Senate considers rules change permitting dismissal of House impeachment lacking submission

The Republican Senate leadership is considering a rules change that would allow them to dismiss the House impeachment of Donald Trump if the articles of impeachment are not delivered in a timely manner.

The resolution would give the House 25 days to send articles of impeachment over to the Senate. After that, a senator could offer a motion to dismiss “with prejudice for failure by the House of Representatives to prosecute such articles” with a simple majority vote, according to Hawley’s proposal.

I should note that the Senate is entirely within its rights to do this. The Constitution does not require the delivery of those articles in any specific manner, as has become customary. All it says, literally, is that the House “shall have the sole power of impeachment,” and that “the Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments.” That’s it. If the Senate wishes to dismiss an impeachment that the House passed but didn’t deliver officially, it can do so.

This Democratic clown show and attempt to overturn an legal election they lost is about to end quite embarrassingly for these Democrats. Hopefully however the embarrassment will be multiplied many fold come November, with a wipe-out landslide for Trump and the Republicans. It is long past time to clean house in the Democratic Party.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
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"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

21 comments

  • Kyle

    Do you think the radical Dems will still be trying to overturn the 2016 election, in say 2026? I think they will be, they seem to like revising history to fit their aggenda.

  • Cotour

    Kyle:

    “By any means necessary”.

    That is the Democrats one and only strategy. Why?

    Because they have long ago abandoned and become anti American and they are in the process of using the Constitution against itself in order to stifle a president that day after day becomes a bigger and more ominous existential threat to them and their existence. And that makes them very dangerous.

    But why did they loose their way? Because they have been infiltrated by Leftists and promoters of the culture of dependency because that is in fact where they find their only base of power in America. And as Trump reveals them for what they are they are even loosing that power base. This is the “Progressive” Leftist agenda and that agenda is focused on rendering our beautiful Constitution to a world government model, plain and simple.

    A cornered and wounded animal is very dangerous, and so is a dying political party.

  • David M. Cook

    Robert, I always refer to them as the ”democrat“ party, not the ”democratic“ party. Small distinction but it makes a difference.

  • Tom

    Mitch McConnell should take a page out of the Pelosi play book and simply “deem” the articles as having arrived and then act on them immediately. Nancy “deemed” that a vote had taken place and passed the Obamacare bill using this approach. If it can work for the House, it can work in the Senate.

  • pzatchok

    I say leave Nancy alone. Let her hold onto those papers for the next year or more.

    Why you ask.

    She is setting the example that the president (from another party) can be impeached for anything and the impeachment can be held for the rest to the presidents term.
    As soon as the opposing party has a majority in the house they can do this every time and hold it over the head of the president forever.
    They can add every verbal slip and policy mistake to the indictment/impeachment that a president ever makes and leave it to the Senate to go through them one at a time and throw each one out.

    Or just wait until they take over the Senate and then deliver the papers.

    Could she be waiting for the election just hoping for a senate switch?

  • Cotour

    WIN AFTER WIN, PRETTY SOON……….

    Trump continues to put up win after win both in the courts where the Democrats continue to seek to ham string him and his simple and pragmatic pro American agenda and in the court of public opinion.

    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/08/trump-border-wall-funds-block-096527

    Trump’s very simple “AMERICA FIRST” mantra and delivering on it is far superior to the Democrat mantra of “AMERICAS FAULT”.

    As the new year rolls into the next presidential election the Democrat leadership continues to be forced to reveal themselves for what they are, un and anti American and they seek a Globalist and non American Constitutional model for America and the worlds future.

    And that is just not acceptable to any rational American, whether they be born here or a naturalized legal citizen.

    The desperate Democrats and the Leftist media that support their un American efforts are failing in spectacular fashion. Democrats, I could not have designed a better strategy for you to reelect president Trump. Well done.

    MAGA

  • Andrew_W

    Well it’s a long time since the impeachment has been mentioned on Behind The Black, the absence of posts on that topic I interpret as the result of facts emerging that don’t fit with this blogs narrative – especially with regard to the likely evidence that would be presented if witnesses like Bolton were actually allowed to testify. The Republican’s determination not to hear from witnesses, to deny the available evidence, is an indictment on those Senators integrity.

  • Andrew_W: As usual you impose your biases on your conclusions. I have not posted much on the impeachment not because the “facts emerging that don’t fit with this blogs narrative” but because the whole thing is an absurd joke and a waste of time, based on false and fake charges that have no merit, and that it has clearly been a repeat of the Democrats’ Kavanaugh strategy, where they leak “bombshells” in bits over time, all of which soon turn out to be nothing burgers.

    I have better things to do than report on this absurdity day by day. I have reported on it several times, especially when events occurred that I thought were significant. There just hasn’t been much of that.

  • Andrew_W

    I think this guy sums it up well:

    James Tabeek
    January 29 at 8:39 AM ·
    ALL THE WITNESSES: Ok we all agree. This is what happened.

    REPUBLICANS: None of you were in the room!

    BOLTON: *raises hand* Well I was in the…

    REPUBLICANS: Who asked you?! Shut up! You’re a liberal pawn!

    BOLTON: Um… I’m actually I’m a lifelong Republican and I was literally Trump’s national security advi…

    REPUBLICANS: Shut your mustache! Somebody bring back the first national security advisor.

    FLYNN: *in orange jumpsuit* Hey sorry guys I’m in jail lol.

    REPUBLICANS: What? Why?

    FLYNN: For lying to the FBI about the Russia investigation.

    REPUBLICANS: Well what idiot told you to do that?!

    FLYNN: The Pres…

    REPUBLICANS: Shut up! No one believes either of you!

    KELLY: *raises hand* I believe them. And I was Trump’s Chief of sta…

    REPUBLICANS: Shut up! Let’s talk to the current chief of staff. Who is he?

    MULVANEY: *raises hand* It’s me. Sort of. Well, I’m the act…

    REPUBLICANS: Shit. Never mind.

    PARNAS: *raises hand* I was also in the room. In fact, here’s a cell phone video of the President saying that…

    REPUBLICANS: Wait what?! How in hell did you sneak a cell phone into a meeting with the President?

    PARNAS: It was easy I just walked right in and…

    REPUBLICANS: Shut up! You’re a criminal!

    PARNAS: Correct. So I just walked right into…

    TRUMP: I don’t know him.

    PARNAS: And here’s 500 pictures of me with the President because we’re besties.

    REPUBLICANS: Wait… What idiot introduced you to the President??

    PARNAS: His personal lawyer.

    REPUBLICANS: Cohen??

    COHEN: *also in orange jumpsuit* Hey no sorry guys I’m in jail too. Oops.

    REPUBLICANS: Why?

    COHEN: For campaign finance violations.

    REPUBLICANS: Whose campaign?

    COHEN: The Pres…

    REPUBLICANS: Shut up! Who was the campaign chair??

    MANAFORT: *also in orange jumpsuit* Yeah. Me. Also in jail. Heyyyy.

    REPUBLICANS: IS EVERYBODY IN JAIL?!?

    PARNAS: It was Giuliani.

    YOVANOVITCH: Giuliani! That’s the guy who had me fired from my job!

    REPUBLICANS: Who are you??

    YOVANOVITCH: I was the ambassador to Ukraine.

    REPUBLICANS: Wait, you had her fired? Do you work for the government??

    GIULIANI: Nope. But I figured no one really follows any rules around here so…

    REPUBLICANS: Well who is the ambassador to the European Union??

    SONDLAND: *raises hand* It’s me. I was also in the roo…

    REPUBLICANS: F@$&!!!

    PUTIN: *rubs his bare chest*

    https://www.facebook.com/james.tabeek/posts/10163131849715615

    If Watergate were to happen today Nixon would have nothing to worry about, his party would:
    Hear no evil
    See no evil
    Speak no evil.

  • wayne

    Andrew_W:
    Holy cow ma’ man– we call all that FAKE NEWS, cuz’ it’s all made up.

    Mark Levin Delivers His Opening Statement on Impeachment to Senate
    Levin TV/ Blaze TV
    January 21, 2020
    https://youtu.be/2E1mOkNohl8
    38:00

  • wayne

    somebody call me a Doctor….

    “Dr. Trump”
    Official Music Video
    Louder with Crowder May 2019
    https://youtu.be/aQgMQCjfkKA
    3:13

  • wayne

    Obama Kids:
    Sing for Change (Pyongyang Remix)
    Reason TV 2008
    https://youtu.be/i2naSzb1psU
    2:06

  • commodude

    If Watergate happened today, the Republican party would do now what it did then.

    Encourage the President to resign for clearly illegal activities.

    Quoting a denizen of Hollyweird’s twitter account? Seriously?

    He’s not even a noted actor, just another never will be living off of being politically “woke”.

  • Cotour

    Mr. Bolton is not relevant, not unless the Democrats had gone to the Supreme Court and were willing to ask it to rule on the presidents executive privilege regarding him. And that did not sync with their required time line and political strategy related to the coming election.

    And Mr. Bolton clearly falls under executive privilege and they would have failed. And executive privilege is an absolute necessity for any president.

    And nothing Mr. Bolton would have to say would be relevant anyway, the president had the right to do what he did. And what did he do? He had a phone call with another world leader and he had the nerve to speak about corruption and someone who he knows without doubt is corrupt and is apparently in league with his son who has positioned himself to receive millions and millions of dollars in exchange for access to his vice president father and the power that he wields in our government as it relates to that company. This is not rocket science here.

    And the Ukrainians clearly accessed that power that they paid for and through the son apparently had the prosecutor fired that was becoming a threat to the son and his “Business” deal, and it was done by the father and he spoke proudly about it in public. Jeez!

    Andrew W: Who is the primary law enforcement officer is the United States? You work on that.

    John Bolton relevant? A Democrat distraction and an attempt to confuse and obfuscate. Not relevant and all of the Republican Senators and at least some of the Democrats will indicate just that on Wednesday or there abouts.

    All John Bolton represents for the Democrats is the Next Christine Blassy Ford, with a mustache.

    And you want to craft a relevant law Congress? No one who serves in government, especially directly for the president, can write ANYTHING and have it published and / or receive ANY form of compensation for 5 years after they leave or at least while that president is still in office.

    Andrew W, don’t be such a tool.

  • Andrew_W

    The above 5 comments fail to address the issue:
    1. Did the US President threaten the Ukrainian President with the withholding of US government aid until Ukraine investigated Hunter Biden’s dealings?
    2. If he did, was that action an abuse of office?
    3. If it was does that abuse justify impeachment and removal from office?

    1. Looks like the witnesses agree there was a quid-pro-quo threat made in the phone call in question.
    2. In my country such a quid-pro-quo threat would be an abuse of office, evidently the same is true in the US, given the ardent denial from the President that it happened when it obviously did.
    3. I couldn’t say if removal from office is justified, but the nature of the abuse of office is, I would have thought, quite serious, amounting to corruption.

  • Cotour

    1. No.

    2. Asked and answered.

    3. Asked and answered.

    1. Not at all accurate.

    2. See Allan Dershowitz impeachment speech in the Senate. https://youtu.be/9cGk4BRHckA

    3. An abuse of the presidents power depending on the situation and the action taken can be a reason to impeach and remove an American president. However this Trump communication with another president does not at all reach that height, not in the least.

    The Democrats because they are so desperate and clearly understand that they have no reason to believe that any of the representatives of their party have no chance in hell at beating Trump in the coming presidential election. None what so ever. And so when you are desperate you do what ever it is that you need to do, to at least wound your opponent. And that is exactly what this strategic move, impeachment, was all about for the Democrat party and its leadership. There is a segment of the American population that are all on board with this because they have become deranged due to Trump.

    Being the prime law enforcement officer in the country Trump was obligated to probe the Ukrainians about corruption before any aid was sent. But he might have been better advised to direct his Attorney General to look into it, but this is Trump. And I will assume that you understand just how the Bidens and what they were involved in and just how perverted and corrupt that was. Joe “Didn’t know about any of this”. The Chinese, the Ukrain, Master Card, Amtrak, construction contracts to his brother, etc, etc,. I am certain it is a long and complex list.

    Joe will be lucky if he is not indicted at some point for real abuse of power and the selling of his office to enrich his family members. And that is plainly what has been underway.

    Andrew W: Wait until you see where all of this winds up. From the coming indictments of former Government agency heads and underlings, to the Biden family investigation, its going to be a busy year and it will include Trump being reelected and very possibly Ms. Pelosi and others loosing their seats.

    And that is very much called for. The future of the Democrat party belongs to the likes of Gabbard and AOC if you want to believe that.

  • I think our Democratic Party tool Andew_W might also want to watch the one minute video here.

    It highlights the testimony of the witnesses that the Democrats in the House called to justify their impeachment of Trump. Their answers to these direct questions settles the point, and illustrates why this whole Democratic impeachment effort is nothing more than their attempt to overturn a legal election, merely because they lost.

  • Cotour

    Now I did not watch or listen to one minute of the arguments in the Senate, besides a clip here and there that I may have come across in the news. Why? Because it was a waste of my time and it was a fraudulent and desperate action IMO. And I was pretty certain how it would all shake out, and so it has.

    But I did just this last hour take the time to listen to Allen Dershowitz and his presentation to the Senate and I must say that I clearly understand why the Democrats and the media have come out so hard against him, HE WAS BRILLIANT AND DEVESTATING!

    What a presentation, and I suggest that Andrew W take the time and watch it and absorb what it is that he brings out and explains in the goals of the Founders and the care that they went through in 1. crafting the Constitution and 2. specifically how they chose to structure the impeachment clause using the specific terms and what it should never be: “Treason, Bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors”.

    They did not include: “And if you really, really, really do not like him or her so we can make up things to impeach them for”. The Founders were brilliant, and so was Dershowitz.

    This Dershowitz presentation, Constitutional lecture really, was a total rebuke of the Democrats and their managers and their justification for this fraudulent impeachment action.

    Well done Allan Dershowitz!

  • Andrew_W

    “. .one minute video . .”

    You should always be skeptical of such short edited videos, there’s a high chance they’re so short to conceal the context.

    Sondland’s testimony:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNX5FfYBq6k&vl=en

  • wayne

    Andrew_W:
    I would advise (re)watching the entire proceeding from the C-Span feed.

    Senate Impeachment Trial, Day 11
    https://www.c-span.org/video/?468708-1/senate-rejects-witnesses-documents-impeachment-trial-49-51

  • wayne

    “Helter Stelter”
    Louder With Crowder
    August 2019
    https://youtu.be/t31rUX3QDiQ
    4:01

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