Speaker Mike Johnson will delay sending the House’s articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate this week as planned, after Republican senators requested more time Tuesday to build a case for a full trial.
Quick Read
- Impeachment Delay: Speaker Mike Johnson postpones the delivery of impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate, originally scheduled for this week, at the request of Republican senators seeking more time to prepare for a full trial.
- Historical Context: This marks the first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary in approximately 150 years, with House Republicans targeting Mayorkas over the handling of U.S.-Mexico border security and immigration policies under the Biden administration.
- Senate Dynamics: Despite the impeachment by the House, the expectation in the Senate was to quickly dismiss the charges against Mayorkas, as Democrats, who have the majority, argue the accusations do not meet the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
- Trial Expectations Shift: Initially expected to be a brief process with procedural votes to potentially table or dismiss the charges, the trial’s outlook changes as some Republicans advocate for a more extensive examination of Mayorkas’ actions regarding border security.
- Strategic Republican Discussions: During a private GOP meeting, Republican senators discussed the benefits of using the postponement to strengthen their case against Mayorkas, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive trial.
- Speaker’s Statement: Through his spokesman, Speaker Johnson asserts the House’s intention to transmit the impeachment articles next week, urging the Senate not to shirk its duty to conduct an impeachment trial, highlighting the gravity with which some view the proceedings.
The Associated Press has the story:
Speaker Johnson will delay sending Mayorkas impeachment to Senate
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
Speaker Mike Johnson will delay sending the House’s articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate this week as planned, after Republican senators requested more time Tuesday to build a case for a full trial.
The sudden change of plans cast fresh doubts on the proceedings, the historic first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary in roughly 150 years. House Republicans impeached Mayorkas over the Biden administration’s handling of security and immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Senators were expected to swiftly dismiss the House-passed charges against Mayorkas. Democrats, who hold majority control of the chamber, argue the charges do not rise to the constitution’s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Johnson was planning to have the House impeachment managers transmit the articles against Mayorkas on Wednesday evening. Under procedural rules, that would require senators to convene the next day as jurors for a trial to decide whether to convict or acquit the secretary of charges.
Thursday’s trial was expected to be over quickly after some procedural votes to table or dismiss the charges.
But Republicans intent on holding Mayorkas accountable for border security are pushing for a full trial. Republican senators spoke during a private GOP lunch Tuesday about using a delay to build the case.
“To ensure the Senate has adequate time to perform its constitutional duty, the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week,” said Johnson’s spokesman, Taylor Haulsee. “There is no reason whatsoever for the Senate to abdicate its responsibility to hold an impeachment trial.”
