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House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated on Thursday that he plans to submit articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate shortly after Congress reconvenes in Washington next month.
Johnson, a Republican, stated that he intends to send the two articles on April 10. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to administer the oath to senators as jurors in the trial the following day, according to his office. The House impeached Mayorkas in February on a nearly party-line vote, but Johnson postponed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate while Congress addressed government funding issues.
Impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas, who would be the first Cabinet secretary to face such punishment in almost 150 years, are expected to quickly lose momentum in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans initiated the action against Mayorkas to criticize his handling of the nation’s southern border, but critics, including some Republicans, argue that the House failed to demonstrate that the Cabinet secretary’s actions met the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
“House Republicans failed to present any evidence of anything resembling an impeachable offense,” Schumer remarked after the House vote.
However, Johnson contended in a statement that Mayorkas has “breached the public trust and deliberately disregarded federal immigration laws.”
“He deserves to be impeached, and the American people demand accountability for those responsible for the border crisis,” Johnson added.
Nevertheless, some GOP senators have expressed doubts about the House’s argument, and a conviction is highly improbable. Two-thirds of the Senate would need to vote to convict, as opposed to the simple majority required for impeachment in the House. This implies that all Republicans, as well as a significant number of Democrats, would need to vote to convict Mayorkas.
Nevertheless, a thorough trial would provide Republicans with the opportunity to continue criticizing the Biden administration’s immigration policies. Johnson urged Schumer to conduct “a complete public trial” to demonstrate his commitment to “ending the devastation caused by Biden’s border catastrophe.”