Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said House Republicans are pursuing a "sham" impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to "appease" former President Donald Trump.
The Homeland Security Committee voted along party lines early Wednesday to move toward impeaching Mayorkas for a "willful and systematic" refusal to enforce immigration laws.
"Last night, while most Americans were fast asleep, a House committee voted to advance the absurd effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas," Schumer said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
"The Republican House majority is moving forward with the sham impeachment effort despite producing no evidence that Secretary Mayorkas has committed any crime."
Schumer blamed the impeachment effort on Trump.
"What House Republicans are doing by advancing this sham impeachment effort is denigrating our Constitution, all for the sake of appeasing one person and one person only — Donald Trump," he said.
"And let this be clear: This unserious spectacle by House Republicans does nothing, nothing, to secure the border."
Schumer noted that a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators are working on a supplemental bill, which would offer aid to Ukraine in exchange for reforms to asylum law and parole policies.
"While senators on both sides of the aisle are actually negotiating in good faith on border security, House Republicans keep exploiting the border only for political gain," he said. "Only to help Donald Trump on the campaign trail, instead of working to solve the problem.
"There already have been many shameful, embarrassing moments in the Republican House majority, but abusing the Constitution by pursuing the sham impeachment effort is a new ignominious low."
The Hill reported that Senate aides predicted Schumer likely would refer any House-passed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to a special Senate evidentiary committee — which might not review the charges until possibly after the November election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., commended the House Homeland Security Committee, and added that the vote was "a solemn, but necessary step to bring accountability for the American communities devastated by the effects of an open border."
"Since the moment he was confirmed, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history," Johnson said in a statement.
"He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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