With more and more Democrats in the House of Representatives publicly favoring impeachment (as of this date, 132; see the complete list), I began to wonder what would happen if impeachment (the legislative analog to indictment) succeeded. The Constitution is quite clear. Only the House has the power to impeach. But that's as far as the power goes.
The House can indict, but not bring to trial. That's the job of the Senate. And the Senate currently is under Republican control, and under the management of the self-styled Grim Reaper, Mitch McConnell. To make a long story short (and unfortunately, a little scary) nothing in the Constitution requires the Senate to hold a trial for an impeached President. While it would be an extraordinary departure from accepted practice, the Senate could simply refuse to take up the case the House had passed to them.
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