The Senate has rejected both articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, swiftly ending the trial triggered by the House’s narrow vote to impeach in February.
The articles charged Mayorkas with willfully ignoring the law and breaching the public’s trust. Republicans argue that Mayorkas is refusing to enforce immigration laws. Democrats call the opposition a policy dispute, and said it did not rise to “high crimes and misdemeanors,” as required for impeachment.
The Biden administration said the Democratic-led Senate made the right call and dismissed Republican efforts to attack Mayorkas unfounded.
“Today’s decision by the Senate to reject House Republicans’ baseless attacks on Secretary Mayorkas proves definitively that there was no evidence or Constitutional grounds to justify impeachment,” said Department of Homeland Security Spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg.
Republican leaders said decried the lack of a full trial on the issue.
“By doing what we just did, we have in effect, ignored the directions of the House, which were to have a trial,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “No evidence, no procedure. It’s not a proud day in the history of the Senate.”
Republicans in both chambers are eager to put the issue of border security front and center during this election year. President Biden’s handling of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border remains a weak spot politically for him, according to recent public opinion polls.
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