Schumer says Senate trial for Mayorkas will take place next month
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on March 28, 2024
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Thursday that the impeachment articles for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be sent over to the Senate on April 10, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate trial will take place on April 11.
In a new letter, Johnson and the Republican impeachment managers called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to “schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously.”
The House voted to impeach Mayorkas on Feb. 13 by a vote of 214-213 over what Republicans claimed was his failure to enforce border laws amid a “crisis” of high illegal immigration, allegations the secretary denied as “baseless.” But Johnson waited to send over the articles until the government was fully funded.
“The evidence on both charges is clear, comprehensive, and compelling, and the House’s solemn act to impeach the first sitting Cabinet official in American history demands timely action by the Senate,” the letter to Schumer said.
Asked for a statement, DHS referred ABC News to the statement when Mayorkas was initially impeached.
“Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country,” DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”
Once the articles are sent over, the Senate will be sworn in and seated for a trial. Later Thursday, Schumer’s office said senators will be sworn in as jurors in the Mayorkas impeachment trial on April 11. However, Schumer has indicated Senate Democrats will move to dismiss a trial despite Republican demands for one.
“We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” House GOP said in the letter. “The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible. To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.”
Several Republican senators have called on Schumer to hold a full trial. If Schumer does hold a trial, the charges require a vote by two-thirds of the Senate to convict Mayorkas and remove him from office. There are not enough votes to convict Mayorkas.
The impeachment managers are: Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Ben Cline, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, Rep. Michael Guest, Rep. Harriet Hageman, Rep. Clay Higgins, Rep. Laurel Lee, Rep. August Pfluger, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
ABC News’ Luke Barr and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
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