The historic impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been delayed by Speaker Mike Johnson due to a request from Republican senators for more time to build support for a full trial. The House Republicans impeached Mayorkas in February but held off on sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate while working on government funding legislation. The delay in sending the charges has raised doubts about the proceedings, which would mark the first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary in around 150 years.
The decision to delay the impeachment process comes as Senate Republicans argued that forgoing a full trial would break precedent, despite most Senate Republicans voting to dismiss the charges against former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Despite concerns from Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that Democrats plan to move forward with the impeachment charges quickly, labeling the push as a “sham”. The House Republicans have charged Mayorkas with breaching the public trust by lying to Congress and failing to enforce existing laws at the southern border.
While some Republicans, like Senator Mitt Romney, acknowledge that Mayorkas has done a poor job in his role, they believe that the constitutional test of high crimes and misdemeanors has not been met. However, with the midterm elections approaching, Republicans are aiming to keep the Biden administration’s handling of the border issue in the spotlight for as long as possible. On the other hand, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown has criticized the impeachment trial as a distraction, pointing to the rejection of a bipartisan deal aimed at addressing illegal border crossings from Mexico.
Prior to Mayorkas, only one U.S. cabinet official had ever been impeached, with Secretary of War William Belknap facing impeachment in 1876 for receiving kickback payments while administering government contracts. Despite Belknap’s resignation, the Senate still held a trial, but the votes on the impeachment charges fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for a conviction. The current impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas mark a rare occurrence in American political history, highlighting the ongoing tensions between parties over border security and the power dynamics in Congress.
The delay in sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate reflects the broader political divide in Washington, with both parties seeking to leverage the process for their own political gains. As the impeachment trial of Mayorkas unfolds, it will not only test the boundaries of executive power and accountability but also shape the narrative surrounding border security and immigration policies in the Biden administration. The outcome of the trial will have far-reaching implications for future impeachments of Cabinet officials and serve as a barometer for the level of partisanship in Congress.
