Donald Trump called on Senate Republicans to vote for an “outright dismissal” of the articles of impeachment against him, but a prominent GOP senator says there aren’t enough votes to make that happen.
According to The Hill , Senator Roy Blunt from Missouri — who is the number four Republican in the upper chamber — said that there wasn’t support for Trump’s suggestion.
“I think our members generally are not interested in a motion to dismiss…. Certainly there aren’t 51 votes for a motion to dismiss,” Blunt said.
Republicans have maintained that they wouldn’t dismiss the articles, but Trump has ramped up his campaign to see the charges against him tossed out because he says that holding a vote on them is “giving credence” to the charges.
“Many believe that by the Senate giving credence to a trial based on the no evidence, no crime, read the transcripts, ‘no pressure’ Impeachment Hoax, rather than an outright dismissal, it gives the partisan Democrat Witch Hunt credibility that it otherwise does not have. I agree!” Trump tweeted.
But dismissing the charges requires 51 votes in the Senate. It’s unlikely that any Democrats would support the effort, though Republicans do hold a majority. They could afford to lose 2 senators and still pass the dismissal, but Blunt says there aren’t enough conservative members that would support throwing out the articles. Both Senators Susan Collins from Maine and Rob Portman from Ohio — who represent more centrist districts — have suggested they won’t dismiss the articles. Mitt Romney of Utah, who has been an occasional critic of Trump, also expressed opposition to the idea.
As a result, the impeachment will likely proceed as planned, with the Senate expected to complete the trial and ultimately vote to acquit the president primarily along party lines.
Thank you to Rick Scott. This Impeachment Hoax is an outrage! https://t.co/HYfBmtYMqF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2020
The impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton included a motion to dismiss the trial, but it was voted down. While Republicans are still creating the rules that will govern the process of the trial, at this point it doesn’t seem like it will include a motion to dismiss.
“If 51 senators wanted to have that vote, we could have it at some point. I don’t believe it’s going to be baked into the underlying resolution,” Senator John Cornyn of Texas said.
The trial appears as though it will proceed soon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed that she would likely send the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Wednesday.
