The Senate disposed of two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the potential for a historic trial.
Wednesday's decision marked a historic departure, as it was the first time in 225 years that the Senate opted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges endorsed by the House without conducting a floor trial or assigning the issue to a special committee for further examination.
The brief announcement marked the end of a largely unsuccessful political maneuver initiated by House Republicans aiming to spotlight the Biden administration's management of the southern border prior to the upcoming general election.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that a trial wasn't warranted given that the House had transmitted "the least legitimate, least substantive and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States."
At the start of the proceedings, Schumer proposed a time agreement to Republicans, outlining a set duration for floor debate and votes on trial resolutions and points of order prior to a final vote on dismissing the case. However, Republican Senator Eric Schmitt objected, refusing to accept the proposal.
Following several rounds of procedural votes, the Senate approved the motion with a vote of 51 to 48, with one member voting present, thereby extinguishing the first article of impeachment.
Schumer then proceeded to address the second article, initiating a similar process. Subsequent procedural votes led to the approval of Schumer's motion to table the second article, resulting in its demise.
Finally, the Senate voted to conclude Mayorkas' impeachment trial.
During the procedure, Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray wielded her gavel repeatedly to silence Republican senators attempting to speak beyond a few sentences on the floor.
Senate conservatives, spearheaded by Lee, chair of the Republican Steering Committee, slammed Democrats for what they deemed as disregarding over 200 years of Senate tradition by opting out of a trial.
Lee expressed outrage over Democrats' rejection of the second article of impeachment, which accused Mayorkas of betraying public trust through false statements.
He added that making false statements constitutes a violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, constituting a felony offense.
Republicans accused Democrats for overlooking a significant security breach at the southern border, which led to 7.5 million illegal crossings, as reported by Customs and Border Protection.
The House approved the two articles of impeachment in a tight vote of 214 to 213 on February 13.
