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Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for the dismissal of the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
This comes after the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives delivered two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on Tuesday, accusing him of failing to enforce US border laws and misleading Congress amid surging illegal immigration levels.
Mayorkas has denied any wrongdoing, with Democrats criticizing the impeachment as a politicized exploitation of the process. Schumer described the impeachment trial as “the least legitimate, least substantive and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States.” He added that the impeachment should not be used to resolve policy disputes, quoting, “This is an illegitimate and profane abuse of the US Constitution. The framers were clear that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.”
On the other side, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell advocated for a “thorough consideration” of the charges. He argued that bypassing a trial would be a failure to the Senate’s duties and show that it is ignoring the ongoing crisis at the US southern border. Despite the push for a trial, it is unlikely that there would be enough votes to convict Mayorkas, which would necessitate his removal from office.
Adding to the contention, Republican Senator John Kennedy criticized Schumer’s motion to dismiss, stating, “What Senator Schumer is going to do is fatuous, it is fraudulent and it is an insult to the Senate and a disservice to every American citizen.”
Republicans are expected to use procedural tactics to delay a dismissal vote, as Schumer seeks to negotiate a time frame for debate and motions with Senate Republicans.
