The Senate killed the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday as the historic trial of the Cabinet secretary barely got underway.
The blink-and-you-missed-it trial marked the culmination of a mostly failed political gambit hatched by House Republicans seeking to cast the limelight on the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border ahead of the general election.
Here's a recap of what happened:
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opened the proceedings by offering a time agreement to Republicans that would have allowed a certain amount of floor debate and votes on trial resolutions and points of order before an eventual vote to dismiss the case. Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri objected, saying he would not agree to a proposal.
- That allowed Schumer to a motion to table or kill the first impeachment article because “it does not allege conduct that rises to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor” as required in the Constitution.
- After several rounds of procedural votes, the Senate passed that motion 51 to 48 with one member voting present, killing the first article of impeachment.
- Then, Schumer moved on to the second article, repeating a similar process. After several more procedural votes, Schumer’s motion to table the second article was also approved, killing it.
- The Senate then voted to end Mayorkas' impeachment trial.
Historic impeachment: Mayorkas is the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in almost 150 years. House Republicans voted to impeach Mayorkas in February over his handling of the southern border by a narrow margin after failing to do so on their first try. Democrats have slammed the impeachment as a political stunt, saying that Republicans had no valid basis for the move.
Elsewhere on Capitol Hill: Conservative hardliners are fuming at House Speaker Mike Johnson decision's to move ahead with a vote on billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine — and are loudly warning him it could cost him his job. He said the House would vote on three separate foreign aid bills on Saturday, including for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The bills are expected to be lumped together as one big package that will be sent to the Senate, according to sources.