Sen. Hawley Will Introduce Motion To Dismiss “Bogus Impeachment” Case

Axios has more on Sen. Hawley's proposal:

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tweeted Thursday that he will introduce a measure next week to dismiss the articles of impeachment against President Trump that were approved by the House in December.

Why it matters: Hawley argues that Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to withhold the articles from the Senate until Majority Leader Mitch McConnell outlines what the trial will look like undermines the Democratic case that impeachment is "urgent."

What he's saying:

"Dems said impeachment was URGENT. Now they don’t want to have a trial, because they have no evidence. 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. 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 fully cleared."

— Sen. Josh Hawley

The big picture: Pelosi has downplayed the idea that there will be a long standoff with the Senate, noting that in past impeachments, the Senate laid out the guidelines for a trial before the House named its managers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, has led a campaign for the last few weeks for the Senate to call four key White House witnesses.

Townhall gave some additional insight:

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is prepared to file a motion to dismiss the two articles of impeachment passed in the lower chamber last month. The House Democrats voted on a party line basis to impeach President Trump on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. But, almost immediately after that partisan win, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to withhold the articles from the Senate, where they would next head for a trial. 

Two can play at this political game. 

Dems said impeachment was URGENT. Now they don’t want to have a trial, because they have no evidence. 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

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 2, 2020

"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," he goes on.