Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signed on to a resolution Thursday that was introduced earlier this week to change the rules for the impeachment impasse.

The rule change would allow Senate Republicans to dismiss the impeachment charges against the president if Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi continues to refuse to transmit the articles of impeachment to the upper chamber.

Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, introduced the measure Monday and accused Mrs. Pelosi of obstructing a Senate trial, which is to occur after the House votes to impeach a sitting president under the U.S. Constitution.

“Speaker Pelosi started this bogus impeachment by claiming President Trump was an urgent ‘threat to democracy’ who had to be removed now,” Mr. Hawley said. “But after a bipartisan vote against the articles in the House, and with the public opposed to the Democrats’ partisan games, Pelosi has changed her tune.”

A dozen GOP senators have signed onto Mr. Hawley’s resolution, which would deem the articles of impeachment to have been transmitted to the Senate if the House fails to do so within 25 calendar days, according to the text of the measure. A senator then could introduce a motion to dismiss the articles “with prejudice for failure by the House of Representatives to prosecute.”

The full Senate would then have to vote on dismissing the impeachment charges, which would require a simple majority to pass.

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