BREAKING! Impeachment ‘Kill Switch’: McConnell Dismissal Rule Corners Democrats

28

The articles are illegal. They are not constitutional. They do not meet the criteria.

The Impeachment ‘Kill Switch’: McConnell Dismissal Rule Corners Democrats, Blocks Antics as Trial Commences

Story continues below advertisement

By: Matthew Boyle, Breitbart News Washington, D.C.1,860

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is as of now including in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial rules a “kill switch” that effectively allows for the president’s legal team to seek an immediate verdict or dismissal of the case should Democrats engage in any shenanigans like they did in the House process.

The revelation comes after the House finally late last week formally sent the Articles of Impeachment it adopted before Christmas—after holding them for more than a month without transmission—to the U.S. Senate, thereby triggering the start of a Senate trial. The Senate will formally commence its trial procedures in votes this coming week, and while some Republicans want to outright dismiss the charges altogether from the outset, others believe a trial should take place.

In so finally transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also named impeachment case managers—the Democrats who will present and manage the House’s case to the Senate—last week. They include House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Both Schiff and Nadler were widely panned for the highly unfair process they ran in the House of Representatives, and many Senate Republicans do not trust them to refrain from playing games that seek to make the Senate trial unfair to the president as the highly partisan process in the House ended up.

Republicans on the House side, who were essentially powerless to stop the Democrats’ shenanigans since they are in the minority in the lower chamber, are warning Senate Republicans to be on the lookout for Schiff’s gamesmanship and that from his ilk.

“It’s incumbent upon the Senate to preserve the right of the President’s legal team to ask for a verdict or move to dismiss this sham impeachment anytime they see fit during the Senate trial,” a source close to House GOP leadership told Breitbart News. “Otherwise, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans risk allowing Adam Schiff and his conspiracy caucus to hijack and take control of the trial.”

Senate GOP leaders, including Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)—the conference chair—say there are not yet enough votes to dismiss the charges altogether from the outset. But Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a freshman senator who emerged as a top ally of the president and had previously drafted a measure dismissing the charges if the House did not formally transmit them by changing Senate rules to do so, has said that the rules package for the impeachment trial includes a measure that allows for the president’s legal team to quickly push for a summary judgment or dismissal at any time should things get wild.

Hawley’s original measure that would have dismissed the charges altogether before the House formally transmitted them to the Senate by changing Senate rules was co-sponsored by several GOP senators including McConnell—the GOP leader—and thereby forced Pelosi’s hand, making her finally transmit the Articles after holding them up for a month.

Now that the Articles of Impeachment are in the hands of the Senate, it’s up to the upper chamber of Congress to figure out what to do next. A quick and dirty dismissal of the charges might play into Democrats’ messaging that Republicans are trying to cover something up, and several vulnerable Republicans in battleground states up for re-election this year, such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have made clear they want some kind of a semblance of a fair trial. There are also disagreements in some places on what to do regarding witnesses or new evidence, or whether to even consider such things—all sorts of wrinkles that will likely be ironed out this week and next.

One thing is clear: Hawley’s confirmation, first reported by Axios, that McConnell’s rules package at least as of now includes that motion to dismiss or seek a verdict would allow the president’s team to block any Democrat gamesmanship in the Senate trial.

“I am familiar with the resolution as it stood a day or two ago,” Hawley told Axios’ Jonathan Swan on Saturday. ”My understanding is that the resolution will give the president’s team the option to either move to judgment or to move to dismiss at a meaningful time.”

Hawley further confirmed this on Sunday, tweeting out a link to Swan’s piece and commenting that Trump’s legal team deserves this option, otherwise the “trial will become endless circus run by Adam Schiff”:

In other words, the big picture here is that it seems as though the Senate will move forward with an actual trial—details on a number of fronts on that as of yet to be determined—but that there will be one thing that is clear: If Schiff or the Democrats try anything untoward like they did in the House, the president and the Senate have the option to shut the whole thing down and blow it all up on them. That means Republicans hold the upper hand, and should things get crazy—while there are not currently enough votes to dismiss the trial or outright off the bat acquit Trump—after Democrat partisan gamesmanship there likely would be enough votes to dismiss the whole thing. Bad behavior, in a partisan way, from people such as Schiff and Nadler and other Democrats could drive more Republicans toward the motion to dismiss—the kill switch—if that ever becomes necessary.

McConnell, who a losing GOP primary candidate in West Virginia once derisively nicknamed “Cocaine Mitch”—a nickname he’s since embraced as indicative of his tough persona—has a history of outsmarting Democrats in the Senate. Most notably, McConnell beat them when they tried in late 2018 to tank the Supreme Court confirmation of now Justice Brett Kavanaugh. McConnell has had many other such end-run victories around the Democrats, and sources close to him expect this Senate impeachment trial will be no different.

The Truth Must be Told

Your contribution supports independent journalism

Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.

Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.

Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.

Please contribute here.

or

Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.

Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding. Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.

Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.

Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.

Follow Pamela Geller on
Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.

Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.

If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
28 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jamfer Jones
Jamfer Jones
4 years ago

It doesn’t matter what anybody does because they will continue with
another impeachment if this one goes nowhere. The Dems are pathetic and have nothing
else.

Ban Islam
Ban Islam
4 years ago

Good job DemocRats, your pathetic ploy to bring Trump down has only gained him more sympathy because most smart Americans see through you sham. This means he’s guaranteed to win the next election because your antics have turned off many voters.

You also deserve to lose because of your corruption and support for Islamofascists to infiltrate and slowly take over your party. Hopefully the Republicans won’t ever make that same stupid mistake.

Ban Islam
Ban Islam
4 years ago

Good job DemocRats, your pathetic ploy to bring Trump down has only gained him more sympathy because most smart Americans see through you sham. This means he’s guaranteed to win the next election because your antics have turned off many voters.

You also deserve to lose because of your corruption and support for Islamofascists to infiltrate and slowly take over your party. Hopefully the Republicans won’t ever make that same stupid mistake.

DemocracyRules
DemocracyRules
4 years ago

“The articles of impeachment are constitutionally invalid on their face” – Trump’s lawyers
Legal terms:
– invalid “prima facie” = invalid at the first look
– “void ab initio” = invalid from the beginning
– therefore, these articles of impeachment are
“Dangerous, Brazen and Unlawful”
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/18/trump-legal-team-impeachment-articles-constitutionally-invalid/
Trump’s lawyers will structure the trial so that 67 Senators must vote that the articles of impeachment are ‘valid from the outset’. Then the trail will be over, because 67 will not vote that way. The articles will therefore be deemed “void ab initio” = invalid from the beginning. From this, it therefore follows that the House impeachment process must also be judged to be “void ab initio”. Thus, Pelosi is wrong. Impeachment is NOT ‘forever’.

John Acord
John Acord
4 years ago
Reply to  DemocracyRules

Unfortunately, I doubt you can get 15 Commiecrat Senators to vote for dismissal or even all of the Never-Trumpers such as Collins and Romney. I hope I am proven wrong.

DemocracyRules
DemocracyRules
4 years ago
Reply to  John Acord

The goal is to reverse the logic. Force 67 senators to vote for continuance. They won’t, so the case will end right there in a mistrial.

The idea is that all trials must begin with a crime. If there is no crime, then the trial cannot continue, it is a mistrial. Forcing a vote on the constitutional validity of the allegations is a way to show that 67 senators do not believe that the allegations are valid. And without 67 senators, the case must be dismissed as a mistrial. This would also invalidate the House ‘impeachment’ because there was no crime.

John Acord
John Acord
4 years ago
Reply to  DemocracyRules

Actually, if the FRCP are used Chief Justice Roberts could simply dismiss with or without the Senators voting. This is all new territory and I feel a trial is necessary to expose the total corruption of the Commiecrats.

DemocracyRules
DemocracyRules
4 years ago
Reply to  John Acord

The good thing about a mistrial is that:
1. it obviates the House ‘impeachment’ as an invalid proceeding

2. it prevents any future efforts by vindictive politicos to impeach any President that they dislike

felix1999
felix1999
4 years ago
Reply to  John Acord

Don’t trust Roberts…. he gave us Obamcare, same sex marriage and at the LAST MINUTE didn’t allow the cencus to include a question of citizenship which had been on the census years ago and is totally Constitutional. He also openly tweeted to Trump that judges are not “political” when Trump complained about the bias of federal judges. Seeing Roberts involved make me uncomfortable. He doesn’t like Trump.

felix1999
felix1999
4 years ago

Off topic – SO SICKENING!

NYC:
Muslim migrant who raped and murdered 92-year-old woman was in country illegally

JAN 19, 2020 2:00 PM
BY ROBERT SPENCER11 COMMENTS

Refugees welcome! Celebrate diversity!

An ICE official calls it a deadly choice by the city to put Khan back on the street. The feds say New York’s sanctuary city policy puts public safety at risk.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio says it’s shameful that the Trump administration is politicizing this tragedy…
comment image

Ban Islam
Ban Islam
4 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

What do these asinine fools mean by ‘politicizing this tragedy?’ It is a matter of good politics to keep dangerous lunatics out of our countries so these terrible incidents never happen.

Bleeding heart do-gooders are exactly why millions of Muslims are in the West, getting away with industrial scale gang-rape and terrorism. If you defend Muslims/migrants, you are part of the problem.

John Acord
John Acord
4 years ago
Reply to  Ban Islam

“Bleeding heart do-gooders” is exactly what they are not. They are neo-Bolshevist or fellow travellers who are seeking to destroy our civilization. Those who support these policies, vote for the politicians who impose them are just as guilty of these crimes as those who commit them.

felix1999
felix1999
4 years ago
Reply to  John Acord

It is their POLITICS causing this craziness.
It is all about POLITICS!
The insanity continues.

Mohammed_Goldberg
Mohammed_Goldberg
4 years ago

Little Adam Schiff, and Turkey Neck Nadler, will provoke the dismissal as they can not keep their mouths shut, and will try to introduce hearsay evidence.

Drew the Infidel
Drew the Infidel
4 years ago

Who the hell do Pelosi and the commiecrats think they are? The do a horse sh*t job in the House of fabricating phony impeachment “charges” against Trump and then expect the Senate to dress it up into something valid before proceeding?

It simple, you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.

strangequark
strangequark
4 years ago

If the republicans dismiss charges quickly, dems will assert there is a cover-up. The strategy is to try to win more senate seats in 2020.

John Acord
John Acord
4 years ago
Reply to  strangequark

POTUS agrees with you. He has called for a fair and open trial for months. POTUS does not want a dismissal. He wants and deserves a full airing on camera and before the people of the sham charges, the Commiecrats have fabricated. All Americans should be aware that if they can get away with fabricating phony charges against POTUS we are all fair game, if not already.

strangequark
strangequark
4 years ago
Reply to  John Acord

Trey Gowdy, former rep from S. Carolina reaffirmed my suspicion several weeks ago on FNC about the real motive behind the impeachment charade.

linda goudsmit
linda goudsmit
4 years ago

Bravo Mitch McConnell! The dismissal rule is necessary Republican gamesmanship to prevent the Pelosi/Nadler/Schiff Democrat impeachment circus from continuing until November 2020. The Democrats, the colluding mainstream media, and the corrupt RINOs have tried unsuccessfully to overturn the 2016 election of President Trump for three years. Now they are meddling in the 2020 election Enough is enough! Americans elected POTUS to strengthen America and drain the corrupt Washington swamp that continues to weaken America at home and abroad. Draining the swamp has revealed massive political corruption in the Ukraine, and that is the reason why Pelosi et al are so desperate to remove President Trump from office. His next four years will expose them all.

Laddyboy
Laddyboy
4 years ago

Have the “trial”. The DemoNAZIS get to call every “witness” they called while in the HoR-ror. The Republicans can call EVERY witness they requested while the CONS in the HoR-ror had control of their KANGAROO “investigation”.
The DemoNAZIS MUST be shown to all the world that OUR SUPREME LAW of the LAND of OUR Constitutional Representative government system WORKS.
Unlike in the HoR-ror where POTUS was “guilty before judgment”, the Senate MUST follow the American Law practice of “INNOCENT TILL PROVEN GUILTY”.

notme123
notme123
4 years ago

Dismiss

Jeff Ludwig
Jeff Ludwig
4 years ago

I’d like to think this “kill switch” is more than just a sop to placate Republicans, like myself, who are unhappy the Senate didn’t move to dismiss all charges on Day One. No. I think they are going to go through this trial charade no matter what because of the outrageous denial and never-Trump mentality in the minds of Senators like Romney, Collins, and maybe a couple others. Trial? For what? Phony ill-conceived charges? The Dems wanted SOMETHING so they pushed through these two garbage articles, and Mitch-the pussy cat—always the game player and charade player—never the stand up straight guy—always the back room wheeler dealer— is doing what he always does…just trying to be too smart for words and selling out the country to the Democrats.

Leonard Payne
Leonard Payne
4 years ago

My question is …… why is the House involved in the Senate trial at all?????
It is up to the House to impeach ….. it is up to the Senate to try the impeachment.
Apparently this is as difficult for democrats to understand as is the very simple phrase “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”.
Schiff for brains and the rest of the House democrats had their chance during their “investigation” …. and FAILED.

stephen5970
stephen5970
4 years ago
Reply to  Leonard Payne

Its also difficult for Democrats to accept that they lost an election, that the means of electing a president are constitutional and can’t be change because they lost, and that they are not in charge of all branches of government.

John Acord
John Acord
4 years ago

McConnell is a wise old fox and we are all fortunate to have him in charge of this trial. Outright dismissal of the charges would provide endless drivel for the Commiecrats and their Dogfart Media hacks to whine for months that they charges were dismissed as part of a Republican cover-up. POTUS wants a trial. He has demanded an opportunity to expose the horrendous corruption of the Commiecrats. This entire process is a sham designed to cover up billions of dollars in corruption that implicates the entire Commierat party and their fellow travelers. Let’s get it on!

TomSJr
TomSJr
4 years ago

This Impeachment is such a waste of time and taxpayer money, I doubt I could say all the reasons why here. It would take up way too much space.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Democrats are dumber than they look.

I actuallly WANTED the trial so Democrats would end up running out with their tails between their legs crying like the little spoiled children they are. Dems have absolutely NOTHING on Trump and Trump wants to prove that, so I am not sure if this is a ploy by McConnell to add more fuel to the fire or if he means it.

DOESN’T MCCONNELL UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES, THE DEMS WILL FIND **SOMETHING** AGAINST TRUMP AND THE GOP? It’s a darned if you do and darned if you don’t situation, a dog and pony show. THE DEMS JUST CAN’T GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY. They ARE power hungry evil people.

Pantalones
Pantalones
4 years ago

In the articles are invalid then why is this sham impeachment proceeding?

Mike Kevins
Mike Kevins
4 years ago

“If” the demonrats should do anything improper? This last three years has been improper.

Sponsored
Geller Report
Thanks for sharing!