OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has offered an update on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s impending impeachment trial, including details on when the House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment in the Senate.
The Epoch Times reported Saturday that “Schumer disclosed in an April 5 letter to fellow Democrats that the Senate will receive the House impeachment managers on April 10, when they will deliver Mr. Mayorkas’ articles of impeachment to the upper chamber.”
The letter said, “Please be advised that all Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the day after the articles are presented, and Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside,” adding that Democratic senators’ attendance next week in the chamber “is essential.”
Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson notified Schumer that the House will submit the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate on Wednesday.
This is the next step toward holding an impeachment trial in the upper house. In response to the letter, Schumer’s office stated that senators will take the juror oath on April 11.
“The House impeached Mayorkas on February 13 by an extremely narrow margin, making him the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in almost 150 years,” CNN reported.
“House Republicans impeached Mayorkas last month after failing to do so on their first try, a stunning loss that came about after GOP defections and absences sank the initial floor vote. Republicans have sought to use the impeachment of Mayorkas’ to spotlight the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border, as the conference has faced building pressure from their base to hold President Joe Biden and his departments and agencies accountable over immigration and border security policies,” the outlet added.
While Schumer has not yet specified how his chamber will conduct the trial, the Democratic-controlled Senate is unlikely to find Mayorkas guilty.
Instead, senators may swiftly move to drop the impeachment. According to Schumer’s statement from last month, Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside over the proceedings.
Although several constitutional experts have stated that the evidence does not meet that high standard, Johnson claimed in his letter that Mayorkas has committed serious crimes and misdemeanors related to his management of the southern border.
A representative for the Department of Homeland Security, Mia Ehrenberg, described the attempt as “baseless, unconstitutional impeachment” and claimed it was “without a shred of evidence or legitimate constitutional grounds.”
As CNN previously reported, House Republicans purposefully withheld sending the impeachment articles to the Senate until after Congress had finished discussing government funding for this fiscal year. The week of April 8 marks the return of both chambers to regular sessions.
Johnson urged Schumer to try Mayorkas in front of the Senate.
“We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously,” Johnson wrote, arguing that Schumer must fulfill his “constitutional obligation.”
CNN noted in its report: “A showdown over immigration between Senate Democrats and Republicans is set up by sending the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate. This is a particularly contentious issue in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.”
“Many Republicans are becoming even less optimistic about the possibility of impeaching the president, who is arguably their top investigative target this Congress, as a result of the way the impeachment process against Mayorkas has unfolded. With their razor-thin majority, Republicans lack the votes and hard evidence needed to impeach Biden, which has caused the impeachment investigation to stand still,” CNN added.
Johnson signed the letter with the House Republicans he selected as his impeachment managers, which include: House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green of Tennessee and Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Ben Cline of Virginia, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, August Pfluger of Texas, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, and Laurel Lee of Florida.
