When Republicans failed to adjourn the House, they moved to stalling the impeachment proceedings with procedural motions.
House Republicans on Wednesday tried to delay Donald Trump's inevitable impeachment by using stall tactics to shut down debate and postpone the vote.
As soon as the House day began, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) tried to adjourn the House, effectively ending the day and preventing an impeachment vote against Trump. His effort failed.
After that stunt, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy then introduced a motion to censure Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler — the chairs of the House Intelligence Committee and House Judiciary Committee, respectively. McCarthy (R-CA) accused the two men of abusing their power during the impeachment inquiry, saying the men "trampled on the rights of the minority," and in the case of Schiff, engaged in "repeated and blatant abuse of power in a way that is not befitting of a member of Congress."
That motion also failed, as Democrats voted it down. Republicans attempted to punish Schiff for similar accusations earlier in the impeachment process, and that also failed.
The GOP conduct during the impeachment debate was reminiscent of the House Republican tactics throughout the impeachment inquiry — in which they tried to shut down and stall depositions and hearings with witnesses who had damning testimony against Trump.
Ultimately, the House is scheduled to have six hours of debate, followed by a vote on the two articles of impeachment Trump faces by 7:30 p.m. EST.
However, these delay tactics could force the vote later and later.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
