House Speaker Mike Johnson, representing Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, has announced plans to transmit articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on Wednesday.
The decision comes after the House voted on February 13th to impeach Mayorkas, citing his alleged failure to effectively manage the migrant crisis at the southern border. This marks the first instance of a Cabinet secretary being impeached in nearly 150 years.
Johnson communicated the timing of the delivery of the articles to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a letter dated March 28th, urging swift action on the matter.
As reported by Politico on Monday, the Senate is now poised to confront the lingering debate over the handling of these impeachment articles.
However, sources within the Senate have indicated that Schumer is expected to promptly dismiss the impeachment charges against Mayorkas. According to a Republican Senate aide, Schumer is likely to schedule a vote on a motion to dismiss or table the charges as early as Thursday.
In correspondence sent on Friday, Schumer outlined a tentative agenda for the upcoming Senate session, informing Democratic colleagues that all Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the day after the articles are presented. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside over the proceedings.
It is speculated that Schumer may opt to hold a floor vote to dismiss the articles outright or refer them to a special committee, effectively deferring any action on them until after the general election in November.
A simple majority is required to pass a motion to dismiss or table the charges against Mayorkas. With Democrats holding a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, the outcome of such a vote remains uncertain.
Schumer has criticized the House impeachment effort, arguing that there is insufficient evidence to support allegations of high crimes and misdemeanors against Mayorkas, as mandated by the Constitution for impeachment.
Following the impeachment of Mayorkas, President Joe Biden released a statement condemning the Republican-led initiative, characterizing it as an act of partisan politics aimed at undermining a dedicated public servant. Biden emphasized Mayorkas’s record of service and dismissed the impeachment as a baseless and unconstitutional maneuver.
