House Republicans announced on Thursday that they will present the articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10, after Congress returns from recess.
The notification came from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. "If he cares about the Constitution and ending the devastation caused by Biden's border catastrophe, Senator Schumer will quickly schedule a full public trial and hear the arguments put forth by our impeachment managers," Johnson said in a statement.
The impeachment managers -that is, lawmakers who will act as prosecutors of the case against Mayorkas- include Representatives Mark Green of Tennessee, Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
The chances of finding Mayorkas Guilty and removing him from his post are slim to none, considering that Republicans need two thirds of the Senate and they don't even have a simple majority nor the support of all members of their party in the Upper House.
In fact, there has been infighting among Republicans about the best way forward: a group of conservative Senate Republicans is pushing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to help them force a full trial and not just dismiss the articles, as Democrats have signaled.
A letter obtained by Axios and signed by 13 senators tells McConnell that the Democratic effort to dismiss the charges would be "an action rarely contemplated and never taken by the U.S. Senate."
McConnell, on his end, said that he hasn't "really thought about it" when asked about his stance on the best way to proceed with the charges. "I don't think we'll have two endless trials like we've had recently," he added.
He's not the only Republican showing reticence to the process. Senator Kevin Cramer said the articles were "dead on arrival" and the "dumbest exercise and use of time."
Democrats, on their end, have criticized the process since the beginning and have used it as an opportunity to go on offense against Republicans on border issues.
The Associated Press has explained that, if Democrats can muster a simple majority (that is 51 votes) "they can dismiss the trial outright or move to table the two articles (of impeachment) ending the House's effort and allowing the Senate to move on to other business."
To get to that number, all Democrats and the chamber's three independents would have to vote for the motion. They could also get Republicans to vote for it, but it's unclear whether they would join Democrats in that vote.
The outlet indicated that even if Democrats can't dismiss the issue right away, they can also "hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges." Precedents show that party leaders can recommend six senators and a chairperson to run that committee, which would then craft a final report and send it to the senate.
A trial is the last potential path the impeachment could take. In that case "senators would be forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas make their cases," AP recalled.
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