A group of Republican senators warned on Tuesday that Democrats in the Senate may attempt to quickly throw out the impeachment articles against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas which passed the House last week.
In a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) joined by a dozen House Republicans stated that it is “imperative that the Senate Republican conference prepare to fully engage our Constitutional duty and hold a trial.”
Pointing out that briefings by McConnell’s staff hint at a plan to discard the articles of impeachment by tabling them individually, the Senate Republicans wrote, “This is an action rarely contemplated and never taken by the U.S. Senate in the history of our Republic.”
They then urged McConnell to join them in sabotaging “this approach by Democrats to shirk their Constitutional duty, ensure that the Senate conducts a proper trial, and that every Senator, Republican and Democrat, adjudicate this matter when the Senate returns.”
The two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas accuse him of wilfully refusing to comply with federal immigration laws, breaching the public trust by making false statements and obstructing lawful oversight of the DHS.
The impeachment effort requires a two-thirds vote for a conviction in the Senate. While a trial might begin next week, as the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the House impeachment managers “will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period,” the articles face a motion to table.
Per the Senate glossary, a motion to table is “a proposal to set aside any pending question. Used to dispose of a question the Chamber does not want to consider further. Agreement to the motion is equivalent to defeating the question tabled.”
Hence, the impeachment articles might not make it far.
In a post to X, in which he shared the letter to the public, Lee wrote, “GOP leadership must push for an impeachment trial for DHS Secretary Mayorkas. We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to sweep the Biden administration’s border invasion under the rug.”
GOP leadership must push for an impeachment trial for DHS Secretary Mayorkas.
We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to sweep the Biden administration’s border invasion under the rug. pic.twitter.com/qg1EFCdoF3
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 20, 2024
