By Steve Neavling
Update: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday — The inevitable happened. After a little more than three hours after the impeachment trial began in the Senate for Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas it was over.
The Senate voted to dismiss two articles of impeachment, which alleged that he has mismanaged the flow of immigrants across the U.S. Mexico border. Both votes were along party lines, the Washington Post reports.
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Reported Earlier on Wednesday
The U.S. House delivered two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, setting the stage for a potential full-scale trial over allegations that he failed to enforce immigration laws.
Beginning Wednesday, senators will determine the next stages of the impeachment after they are sworn in as jurors at 1 p.m., Reuters reports.
Democrats, who control the Senate, are expected to vote to dismiss or table the articles, a move that would avoid a full-scale trial.
To dismiss the case, Democrats need at least 51 votes. That would mean every Democrat and the chamber’s three Independents would need to vote to dismiss, unless some Republicans join them.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, of New York, said the impeachment was baseless and political.
“Every time there’s a policy disagreement in the House, they send it over here and tie the Senate in knots to do an impeachment trial? That’s absurd. That’s an abuse of the process. That is more chaos,” Schumer said in a speech earlier in the day.
Republicans are expected to call for a full-scale trial.
“Never before has the Senate agreed to a motion to table articles of impeachment. Not for an officer of either party. Not once,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a Senate speech.
The articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust.”
The House narrowly voted in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the border. It marked the first time in nearly 150 years that a cabinet secretary was impeached.
