Republicans warn dismissing Mayorkas impeachment will set new precedent

House Republicans will wait to deliver articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate until the week of April 14. In February, the House charged him with willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and breach of public trust. 

Once the House delivers the articles, the Senate will hold a trial. The trial’s result is a foregone conclusion — Mayorkas will not be convicted or removed from office.

“Farce,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said when asked about the upcoming trial. “Absolute waste of time.”

Democrats are expected to make a motion to table the articles and immediately end the trial. The chamber’s second-ranking Democrat said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has multiple options.

“I think it’ll be done quickly,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. “I’ve talked to some Republicans who candidly tell me they don’t take it very seriously.”

“I think the Democrats are going to kill it,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.

Fox News reported that Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., convinced Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to hold the articles until Monday. They hoped to prevent the Senate from quickly dismissing the articles before the weekend.

Republicans agreed that the House-led effort to remove Mayorkas is not going anywhere. But many called for a full trial so representatives can present evidence to the public and require a Senate vote. They also warned that tabling impeachment articles will set a new precedent.

“This will be the end of impeachment,” Hawley said. “If they create this precedent, this is how every majority will handle impeachments going forward, that doesn’t want it, they’ll just move to table.” 

Republicans contend that Democrats rushed both impeachments of Donald Trump and moved forward without gathering proper evidence and presenting their case.  Some of the representatives said the same thing happened here. 

“I feel like my Republican colleagues may have just followed the lead of the Democrats moving quickly before they actually have presented information that would rise to the standard of misdemeanor or high crime,” Sen. Thom Tillis. R-N.C., told reporters. 

Tillis said without a full presentation of the evidence, it would be difficult for him to vote to convict.