(TruthAndLiberty.com) – The majority of Senate Republicans are pressing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to proceed with a comprehensive impeachment trial for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This comes as Senate Democrats appear poised to quickly dismiss the charges.
Led by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, forty-three Republican Senators out of forty-nine have formally requested in a letter that Schumer, a Democrat from New York, fulfill the Senate’s constitutional duty to thoroughly address the impeachment brought by the House against Secretary Mayorkas, as reported by The Washington Examiner.
Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitt Romney of Utah, three of the six Republicans who refrained from signing the letter, have expressed doubts about whether the House’s allegations meet the constitutional threshold of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The reasons behind the absence of signatures from the other three Republicans—Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Rand Paul of Kentucky—remain unspecified. However, Tuberville has already advocated for a full Senate trial for Mayorkas, and Cassidy recently indicated his opposition to any motion that would dismiss the impeachment proceedings prematurely.
The signatories of the letter emphasized that since 1797, the House has impeached 21 individuals, and in all but one case—where the impeached official resigned—a trial was conducted. They argue that given the accusations against Mayorkas of undermining his office by failing to secure the border, it is crucial for the American public to witness a formal trial in the Senate.
While Schumer has not made any public statements regarding his strategy for handling the impeachment, Democratic Senators have suggested they intend to quickly terminate the charges and highlight the Republicans’ rejection of a border security agreement earlier this year.
The articles of impeachment were scheduled to be delivered to the Senate by House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana last Wednesday, but he postponed the delivery until the following week to align with the Senate’s schedule. Schumer responded to the delay by stating the Senate is prepared to proceed immediately and aims to resolve the matter swiftly.
Democrats could potentially abbreviate the trial by moving to table the proceedings, a motion that would require a simple majority to pass. However, some Republicans have threatened to obstruct legislative activity in the Senate if a full trial is not granted.
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