Senate Democrats to dismiss Mayorkas charges, skip full impeachment trial
Senate Democrats will move to dismiss the impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after they reach the chamber on Wednesday, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The quick dismissal of the Mayorkas charges and lack of a full trial will snatch an opportunity from Republicans to go on the offensive on the border.
- Senate Democratic leadership has told lawmakers that the plan is to move to dismiss the charges against Mayorkas swiftly, three Democratic sources familiar with the conversations told Axios.
- But Schumer has not publicly said what his plans are for the impeachment trial.
- Democrats argue that the impeachment of Mayorkas is purely political, with no high crimes or misdemeanors found.
What to watch: A vote to dismiss the impeachment articles could be bipartisan.
- When asked if Republicans would be unified, GOP Senate Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) only said that he thinks "the large majority, for sure, will be very unified."
- Several Republican senators have expressed concerns about the House's impeachment effort in the past months.
The other side: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2024, said he did not know whether he would vote to dismiss, wanting to look at the documents first.
- "I'm going to do the right thing. You do the political thing, you get in trouble," he told reporters on Tuesday.
- Republicans have been hitting Democratic incumbents hard over the border issue. One conservative group recently dropped $15 million to hit Tester over his immigration record, Politico reported.
The big picture: The House made Mayorkas the first cabinet secretary to be impeached since 1876 in February.
- The impeachment articles charge Mayorkas with breach of public trust and failing to carry out U.S. law.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.