WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a 51-48 and 51-49 vote, the U.S. Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, according to AP News.
House Republicans initially voted in February to impeach Mayorkas on his handling of the border, which then went to the Senate. AP News says the two articles charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply” in regards to immigration law and a “breach of trust” when saying the border was secure.
AP News reports that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the case brought by House Republicans did not meet “the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Washington State Senator and President Pro Tempore Patty Murray issued a statement following the impeachment proceedings in a press release, which said in part:
“These impeachment proceedings were an absolute sham and disgrace from the start—a partisan stunt by House Republicans contrived to score cheap political points with no regard for truth, the Constitution, or the consequences of their reckless actions. This was not just an abject waste of taxpayer dollars, it has left a dangerous chip in the foundations of our democracy. The plain facts of the matter make clear there were absolutely no grounds for impeachment: no high crimes, no bribery, no treason—nothing. It is up to all of us to call out this charade, and reject this dangerous precedent—for the good of our democracy. Congress cannot accept a status quo where legislating is impossible because hyper partisans constantly hijack the debate and turn our most important Constitutional remedies, into time-wasting gimmicks.”
GOP leaders also released a statement against the impeachment dismissal, saying in part:
“By voting unanimously to bypass their constitutional responsibility, every single Senate Democrat has issued their full endorsement of the Biden Administration’s dangerous open border policies. Secretary Mayorkas alongside President Biden has used nearly every tool at his disposal to engineer the greatest humanitarian and national security catastrophe at our borders in American history.”
