Congressional Republicans and GOP candidates are bearing down on at-risk Senate Democrats in hopes of convincing them against derailing the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Republicans will need several Democratic defectors at next week’s trial to prevent Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer from swiftly killing the charges, which are related to handling illegal immigration.
Democrats are expected to bring up a motion to table or dismiss, but Senate Republicans hope to win over endangered Senate Democrats before the House delivers the articles next week.
“It’s the Number One issue for voters back home,” Montana Sen. Steve Daines, chair of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, told The Washington Times. “It’s very important that we have a trial, and the American people see firsthand what’s been going on.”
Democrats like Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are squarely in Republicans’ crosshairs.
Mr. Mayorkas’ trial was originally set to begin Wednesday. Around the same day, Mr. Tester cut a new campaign ad distancing himself from President Biden’s handling of the southern border and has reserved a total of $14.5 million in ad buys for his race, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
“Jon Tester worked with Republicans to shut down the border, target fentanyl traffickers and add hundreds of new border patrol agents,” the commercial says. “He fought to stop President Biden from letting migrants stay in America instead of remain in Mexico.”
Republican campaign staffers and his GOP opponent have dubbed him “two-faced Tester” for saying he now wants to see the impeachment articles before voting to dismiss them.
“I’m going to give them a moment in the sun and read their damn papers,” Mr. Tester said, foreshadowing that he won’t budge.
His GOP challenger, Tim Sheehy, said Washington needs “leaders with the backbone to fight for Montana, restore accountability in D.C. and seal the border once and for all.”
Mr. Brown blamed the postponement of the articles on the “dysfunction of the House” and assailed a Senate trial as a “distraction.”
“I just know that we should be doing a bipartisan immigration bill,” he said.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Democrat, said the exact wording of how the articles would be dispensed will determine her position. She was informed by a reporter that it would be a motion to table or a similar motion that ultimately quashes the articles.
“I have not heard what the question will be before the Senate,” Ms. Baldwin said. “I’m not convinced that that will be the motion before us.”
Her Republican opponent, Eric Hovde, said in a campaign video this week that illegal immigration is “creating a massive financial strain on our local governments across the country.”
Senate Democratic leadership stayed the course with their strategy, pledging to rapidly derail the articles despite the increased political pressure.
“Our plan over here has not changed,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “The Senate is ready to go, whenever the House is. We want to address this issue as expeditiously as possible.”
The House approved two articles in February against Mr. Mayorkas, making him the first sitting Cabinet member to be impeached. The charges are for willfully subverting immigration enforcement laws and breaching the public trust by lying to Congress and the public about the border and his efforts to control it.
Mr. Mayorkas and the White House have denied the accusations, saying that he’s worked to secure the border within the laws Congress has written.
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, both facing reelection, were steadfast in opposing a full trial. Ms. Rosen called it “political theater.”
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, chief of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, criticized the delay of articles by House Republicans as a “political charade.”
Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah is the lone Republican who’s signaled he’ll vote with Democrats to kill the articles. That would mean likely three Democrats would need to flip in the GOP’s favor for a full trial.
“Clearly, it’s a political endeavor at this stage, to some degree,” Mr. Romney told The Times.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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