It is essential to get a dismissal on merit not on procedure to demonstrate that even with a quid pro quo there is no case to be made. That is, the president cannot have committed an impeachable offense by inquiring into corruption even though that inquiry might benefit him personally as a future candidate.
So, assume that the presidents inquiry was motivated to advance his political campaign against a presumed opponent, Joe Biden. That is not an impeachable offense so long as the president had a plausible reason to initiate investigation of corruption. To hold otherwise would be to handcuff every president and to shield every corruption of potential candidates.
Thus the Senate stops the whole inquiry by a finding on the merits that there is no conceivable impeachable offense. It is necessary to stop the inquiry to take that probe away from the Democrats when we all know it will be amplified by the media.
