Pollak: Senate Can Acquit Even If House Withholds Articles of Impeachment | Breitbart

Trial of Impeachment
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.”

ARTICLE I, SECTION 3, CLAUSE 6
There's your source. The constitution itself. Which says NOTHING about requiring the transmittal of the articles to the senate.

SN Greg Wright - so how would the senate conduct the trial if there are no charges present?

SN Greg Wright - The House debates the resolution and may at the conclusion consider the resolution as a whole or vote on each article of impeachment individually. A simple majority of those present and voting is required for each article for the resolution as a whole to pass. If the House votes to impeach, managers (typically referred to as "House managers", with a "lead House manager") are selected to present the case to the Senate. Recently, managers have been selected by resolution, while historically the House would occasionally elect the managers or pass a resolution allowing the appointment of managers at the discretion of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. These managers are roughly the equivalent of the prosecution or district attorney in a standard criminal trial. Also, the House will adopt a resolution in order to notify the Senate of its action. After receiving the notice, the Senate will adopt an order notifying the House that it is ready to receive the managers. The House managers then appear before the bar of the Senate and exhibit the articles of impeachment. After the reading of the charges, the managers return and make a verbal report to the House.

SN Greg Wright - what SrA John Monette said.

According to Congressional Rules and Precedents, it appears that the Senate can force the issue if they so desire with a one week deadline in which they have done in the past for other procedural parts of the Senate trial. Considering that was 7 days back in 1912, I believe that 7 days should be sufficient in todays electronic age. There are a couple of issues here however, according to precedent set by the SCOTUS neither the House or the Senate can force the other to change their rules of procedure and can change them to suit themselves since they are political acts. (NOTE: This is how Rep. Schiff can get away with stating that he had factual evidence that President Trump committed acts of treason with impunity. He did it under color of a form of political speech.)

SSG Robert Webster - Technically, Rep Schiff is covered by the Speech and Debate Clause 0f the Constitution. Article I, Section 6, Clause 1:
(members pf Congress) ...shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their attendance at the Session of their Respective Houses, and in going to and from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

1SG (Join to see) - Technically, that is what the SCOTUS stated.