Two U.S. senators proposed separate legislation that would change rules governing the impeachment of government officials, after impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump ended in acquittal by the Senate.
Sen. Rick Scott proposed a constitutional amendment designed to make it more difficult for the House to impeach a public official, one day after voting to acquit in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.legislation to change rules governing impeachment, while decrying partisan politics in play during recent impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Trump was acquitted in the Senate Wednesday on a largely partisan vote, with Sen. Mitt Romney being the only Republican to vote for the president's removal. A number of Democrats deemed the trial an unfair"sham" after GOP senators voted to block witnesses at the trial. Prior to the trial, Republicans had complained about the House proceedings, insisting unfair partisan politics led to Trump's impeachment on December 18.
Sen. Rick Scott introduced a Constitutional amendment Thursday that is designed to raise the threshold required to impeach a public official from a simple majority to a supermajority of 60 percent. Scott suggested the amendment was needed because Democrats had conducted a"partisan charade" by impeaching Trump.
"The partisan charade Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats made of this impeachment process over the last few months shows that the fears of our Founding Fathers were realized," said Scott in a"The Democrats used the impeachment process as a tool to hurt President Trump, regardless of the outcome of the Senate trial," Scott continued."It's a dangerous precedent and the process has to change.
The likelihood of a constitutional amendment succeeding is low, with a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers of Congress and ratification by at least 38 states required. The last to be successfully ratified was the 27amendment, which deals with Congressional salary rules. It became part of the Constitution in 1992, over 200 years after it was introduced.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Live impeachment trial updates: Senate votes on articles of impeachment against TrumpDEVELOPING: US Senators will vote Wednesday on the two articles of impeachment against President Trump, capping off the monthslong battle with an all-but-certain acquittal.
Read more »
Donald Trump's job approval hits all-time high on eve of Senate impeachment voteThe poll results from Gallup also show the president's approval rating broke records in terms of polarization.
Read more »
Trump impeachment vote: Sharply divided Senate acquits Trump on both articlesAsked multiple times whether it was appropriate for a president to ask a foreign country to investigate a political rival, Sen. Mitch McConnell does not directly answer. 'What I'm here to talk about today is the political impact of this,' he says.
Read more »
Split Senate Acquits Trump of ImpeachmentTrump won impeachment acquittal in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House
Read more »
Trump impeachment trial live updates: Senate poised to acquitThe months-long impeachment and Senate trial of President Donald Trump comes down to an anticlimactic end with a 4 p.m. vote all-but-certain to in his acquittal.
Read more »
Senate poised to acquit Trump in historic impeachment trialSen. Doug Jones: 'One piece of evidence continued to stand out for me...the President's statement that under the Constitution, we have Article 2 and I can do anything I want.' 'That view...explains the President's actions towards Ukraine and Congress.'
Read more »