Leader McConnell,
You ARE NOT REQUIRED to conduct a trial of impeachment merely because the House adopts articles of impeachment.
How is it that you are unfamiliar with the precedents of your own legislative chamber?
@senatemajldr
@SenateGOP
@senjudiciary
You ARE NOT REQUIRED to conduct a trial of impeachment merely because the House adopts articles of impeachment.
How is it that you are unfamiliar with the precedents of your own legislative chamber?
@senatemajldr
@SenateGOP
@senjudiciary
The House impeached William Blount of Tennessee, and House managers appeared at the bar of the Senate to lay the Articles of Impeachment before the Senate.
Have your legislative counsel and your parliamentarian pull VOLUME 3 of HIND'S SENATE PRECEDENTS.
Have your legislative counsel and your parliamentarian pull VOLUME 3 of HIND'S SENATE PRECEDENTS.
Rather than proceeding to a trial of the Articles of Impeachment, the Senate entertained a motion by William Blount's representatives challenging the power of the Senate to try the impeachment.
Make sure you read Section 2318 of VOLUME 3 of HIND'S SENATE PRECEDENTS.
Make sure you read Section 2318 of VOLUME 3 of HIND'S SENATE PRECEDENTS.
Here's a JPG of the relevant, ultimate section: 
@senatemajldr: It's plain and clear: The Senate is NOT required to try every impeachment preferred to it by the House.
Rather, the Senate certainly can consider first whether the process producing the Articles was sufficient to confer jurisdiction on the Senate.
In the case of the Blount Articles of Impeachment, the Senate expressly abjured the assertion of jurisdiction.
In the case of the Blount Articles of Impeachment, the Senate expressly abjured the assertion of jurisdiction.
@threadreaderapp unroll
