Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has been mum about how the chamber will handle the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, but multiple media outlets are reporting that Democrats plan to quickly dismiss the charges before any trial commences.
Democrats have several options at their disposal to short-circuit a trial, including tabling the charges or dismissing them, which they need only a simple majority to do.
But Senate Republicans persuaded House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to delay until Monday the delivery of the articles of impeachment to the Senate to buy more time to pressure Democrats to hold a trial, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday. The articles were scheduled to be delivered Wednesday.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the chamber's No. 3 Democrat, said Tuesday the Senate majority is going to treat Mayorkas' impeachment "with the seriousness it deserves."
"It's completely political. It's not serious," she said, according to Politico. "We will do what we have to do, and we'll work with Republicans to dispose of it, as quickly and appropriately as we can. We'll see how it goes. But we will do what is necessary and legal and appropriate. And dispose of it as soon as possible."
Mayorkas is the 22nd government official, and second Cabinet member, to be impeached. The House approved two articles of impeachment over his handling of the crisis at the southern border: willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law; and breach of public trust.
The Senate has held a trial in all but one case of impeachment. In 1873, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Delahay of Kansas, appointed by Abraham Lincoln, was impeached on charges of being intoxicated on the bench. But Delahay resigned before the House drew up articles of impeachment, so no trial was held.
"The Senate has never in its history tabled an impeachment. Never," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said in a news release. "In the more than 200 years that this body has existed, the House of Representatives has impeached an official 21 times, and we have never once tabled the impeachment. Not once.
"Now, Sen. Schumer may also try to dismiss these charges instead of tabling them, but that's never been done before either. If the Senate dismisses these charges without a trial, it will be the first time in the Senate's long history that it has dismissed impeachment charges against an official it has jurisdiction over without that official first resigning — and that's a fact."
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also has called for Schumer to hold a "full and fair" impeachment trial.
"Secretary Mayorkas has intentionally failed to secure the border in the three years since his swearing in," Tuberville said in a news release obtained by Newsmax. "I will be voting to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. … I expect Senate Democrats will try to table the articles of impeachment and sweep Biden's border bloodbath under the rug.
"Every Democrat in the House already voted to save Mayorkas' job, effectively endorsing the crisis at the border. How many more Americans have to die before the Democratic Party takes seriously the drugs, human traffickers, murderers, and terrorists flooding across the border?"
Newsmax reached out to Schumer for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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