https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/mcconnell-unlikely-pursue-dismissal-vote-impeachment-articles-n1115056

There's little appetite from Republicans with tough re-election fights for a vote to dismiss the charges against Trump outright.

Jan. 14, 2020, 8:58 AM EST

By Leigh Ann Caldwell and Garrett Haake

WASHINGTON — While President Donald Trump has tweeted that he would like to see the Senate dismiss the impeachment articles against him ahead of a trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is unlikely to hold a such a vote.

That’s because there is little appetite from Republican members facing difficult re-election races in 2020 to cast a vote that could be seen as overly protective of the president, GOP aides and senators say.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would like to see “2020 Republican incumbents in tough voting situations. So I think recognizing that that's his goal, I think it won't surprise you that we're thinking about that too, and how to avoid that as much as possible,” Cornyn said.

McConnell announced last week that he has enough Republican votes to pass a resolution outlining the parameters of a trial that mirrors the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1999. While such as a resolution would mandate that opening statements and Senate questions come before a vote on whether to allow witnesses, the text of the resolution has not been released, in part, because McConnell has been surveying his members on the possibility of a motion to dismiss.

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