Schumer to Dismiss Mayorkas Impeachment Investigation

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is expected to quickly dismiss the impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after House impeachment managers deliver them to the upper chamber next week, Senate aides told The Hill.

One Republican Senate aide anticipates that Schumer will call for a vote on a motion to dismiss or table the charges on April 11 – the day after they are presented.

Senate Democrats are reportedly concerned that referring the matter to a special evidentiary committee could give credibility to the two counts Mayorkas is facing.

“There’s not going to be a trial,” a Senate GOP aide informed The Hill. “I don’t think we’ll even get a resolution” to govern the floor process.

A simple majority is all that’s required to pass a motion to dismiss or table the charges against Mayorkas, with Democrats holding a 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Some Republican senators, who are skeptical of the evidence presented by the House GOP against the DHS secretary, may support a motion to dismiss the impeachment articles.

Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, noted that Mayorkas appeared to be “carrying out the policies of the White House” and refrained from disclosing how she might vote as a potential juror in any impeachment trial.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, argued that the time spent on Mayorkas’ fate would distract from important ongoing work.

In February, Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, indicated that he would likely move to have the charges against Mayorkas dismissed, attributing any policy differences to the president rather than the DHS secretary.

Schumer has criticized the House impeachment effort, stating that there is no evidence that Mayorkas committed impeachable offenses as required by the Constitution.

Although known for breaking party norms, Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., deemed the impeachment of Mayorkas as “ridiculous” and expressed a desire to resolve it quickly.

The impeachment proceedings in the Senate are expected to span at least two days, according to The Hill, citing information from Schumer’s office.