GOP lawmaker offers resolution to censure Pelosi for holding articles of impeachment

Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) introduced a resolution on Thursday to censure Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for not sending the two articles of impeachment that passed the House in December to the Senate.

“Speaker Pelosi’s decision to hold the articles of impeachment against President Trump in a pathetic and unconstitutional attempt to extract concessions from the Senate is an unprecedented abuse of power,” Byrne said in a statement.  

Pelosi has withheld the articles and demanded that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) negotiate terms of a Senate trial. Democrats want to be able to call witnesses at the trial. McConnell has said the Senate could vote on hearing from witnesses, but only after the articles of impeachment are sent to the Senate from the House, and after a trial begins.

The Speaker on Thursday said she would not be holding the articles indefinitely and that she would probably send them soon, while expressing frustration with McConnell for not agreeing to witnesses.

“The Constitution grants the House the power to censure its members, the most serious rebuke the House can give a member short of expulsion,” he said. “An adopted censure resolution would require the offending member to stand in the well of the House and have the resolution read aloud. The last censure resolution adopted by the House occurred in 2010.” 

The censure formally condemning Pelosi is not expected to see movement in the Democratic-controlled lower chamber.