Senators were sworn in Wednesday for their third impeachment trial in four years, this time against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
House Republicans, who say Mayorkas failed in his duty to enforce immigration law, are pushing for the case against him to be fully tried in the Senate.
Senate Democrats are poised to reject what they say are baseless allegations.
Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who grew up in California, is the first U.S. cabinet official to be impeached in nearly 150 years.
Wednesday’s proceedings could also be the first time the Senate refuses to hold a trial after an impeachment by the House.
It’s been two months since Mayorkas, a California native and the highest-ranking Latino in the federal government, was narrowly impeached by a single vote.
As the Senate met Wednesday, Mayorkas was in New York, where he held a news conference announcing a public awareness campaign aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. As the trial began, Mayorkas was in transit to Washington.
“Republicans would rather stand in the way of solving our challenges than do the hard work of leading our nation,” said Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.). “We do not resolve political disagreements through impeachment. We talk to the American people, walk into a room and get the job done. The crime charged here is a far-fetched substitute for hard work.
“Every second spent on this trial is a waste of time,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was seeking to accommodate the wishes of his Republican colleagues by agreeing to a period of debate before deciding whether to dismiss the case against Mayorkas.
Engaging in a full trial “would be a grave mistake and could set a dangerous precedent for the future,” he said, urging his colleagues to reserve indictment “for those rare cases where we really have one.” need “.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urged his colleagues to engage in a full trial.
“The filing of articles of impeachment would be unprecedented in the history of the Senate,” he said Wednesday morning in a speech on the Senate floor.
“To depose would mean refusing to discharge our duties as jurors,” McConnell added. “It would mean running away from both our fundamental responsibility and the blatant truth of the record crisis at our southern border. »
California Daily Newspapers
