Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expects Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to table the motion to hold an impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next week. McConnell expressed his preference for holding a trial but expects the Democrat-controlled majority to prevent it from happening by dismissing the motion. Schumer has not announced a trial date for Mayorkas but has committed to swearing in jurors once the articles of impeachment are delivered on April 10. A simple majority of the chamber is required to approve the motion to table or dismiss the articles.
Schumer has criticized the impeachment push against Mayorkas, calling it a “new low for House Republicans” and claiming that Speaker Johnson’s decision to pursue impeachment is to appease Donald Trump. Representative Johnson has called for a public trial to hear arguments in favor of impeaching Mayorkas for failing to enforce immigration law and lying to Congress about the security of the US border. Johnson believes that Mayorkas has violated the public trust and should be held accountable for the border crisis.
The last Cabinet official to be impeached was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, who resigned before facing a vote on impeachment. Belknap was later acquitted in the Senate. The Department of Homeland Security has dismissed the impeachment vote against Mayorkas as a “farce” and a “distraction from other vital national security priorities.” After a second vote narrowly impeached Mayorkas, President Biden referred to the move as a “political stunt” and criticized House Republicans for blocking a bipartisan Senate border bill earlier in the year.
Schumer has not indicated a trial date for Mayorkas but has committed to swearing in jurors upon receiving the articles of impeachment. McConnell expects Schumer to table the motion for an impeachment trial, with a majority likely preventing it from happening. Meanwhile, Johnson has called for a public trial to hold Mayorkas accountable for failing to enforce immigration law. Despite criticism from House Republicans and dismissal from the Department of Homeland Security, the impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas continue to create controversy and division between lawmakers. Biden has labeled the impeachment as a political maneuver and expressed disappointment with the actions of House Republicans.
