GOP senator proposes constitutional amendment to raise threshold for impeachment

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said on Thursday that he’s proposing a constitutional amendment that would raise the threshold for passing articles of impeachment in the House.

Scott, in a statement, argued that Democrats used the months-long impeachment process “as a tool to hurt President Trump” even though the result of the Senate trial was pre-baked, and as a result “the process has to change.”

“It should be harder — much harder — for either political party to take the process our Founders created as a last resort against a tyrannical leader and use it instead as a tool for the tyranny of a political majority. I look forward to all of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, joining me in this effort to protect the integrity of our nation and our constitution,” Scott added.

The announcement comes a day after the Senate voted to acquit Trump on the two House-passed articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Those articles passed the House largely along party lines.

Scott’s proposed amendment would change the threshold for passage of impeachment articles in the House from a simple majority to a three-fifths majority.

Republicans lashed out at House Democrats, arguing that they pushed through a “rushed” and “partisan” impeachment. Though no Republicans voted to pass the articles of impeachment in the House, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) did vote to convict Trump of abuse of power.

But successfully changing the votes needed for impeachment through a constitutional amendment is unlikely.

There have only been 27 amendments successfully added to the Constitution in the country’s history.