The House delivered articles impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on Tuesday, kicking off what is expected to be an abbreviated process that Democrats have vowed will end in acquittal.
Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee led 10 fellow Republicans in marching the two articles across the Capitol and reading the 19-page indictment into the Senate record.
Senators will be sworn in as jurors on Wednesday. Democrats hope to make a quick motion to derail the proceedings and prevent a full trial, blocking the House from making its case.
Hours before Mr. Green stood in the well of the Senate, he and Mr. Mayorkas tussled in a hearing. Republicans said Mr. Mayorkas continued to build evidence for the ignominy of being the first sitting Cabinet secretary in history to be impeached.
“You have refused to comply with the laws passed by Congress, and you have breached the public trust,” Mr. Green said. “We have all witnessed the devastating results of your open-borders agenda.”
Mr. Mayorkas has overseen the worst border chaos in modern American history. Authorities have reported record levels of illegal immigrants, fentanyl and terrorism suspects sneaking from Mexico into the U.S.
SEE ALSO: Homeland Security chief Mayorkas refuses to tell Congress if terror attack is imminent
The secretary blamed global factors and a lack of money. He insisted during his testimony Tuesday that he has done the best he can on the border.
“With the resources and the authorities that we have been provided, it is as secure as we can make it,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
Democrats told Mr. Mayorkas that the Senate would exonerate him.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, is expected to make a motion Wednesday to either table or dismiss the articles, short-circuiting the trial that has been a part of every previous impeachment.
That would require only a majority vote, which Democrats can muster with just the members of their caucus.
“Impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Mr. Schumer said. “Talk about awful precedents. This would set an awful precedent for Congress. Every time there’s a policy agreement in the House, they send it over here and tie the Senate in knots to do an impeachment trial? That’s absurd.”
SEE ALSO: DHS is monitoring 617,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records
Republicans attempted to dismiss the charges against former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment in 2021 but fell short in that vote.
Several senators said they expect several hours of debate before Democrats vote to scuttle the case against Mr. Mayorkas.
Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah Republican, repeatedly suggested he would side with Democrats if the debate process is “more complete and fulsome.”
“The outcome of my vote would depend upon the quality and convincing nature of the presentation,” Mr. Romney, who is retiring from Congress at the end of his term in January, told The Washington Times. “It would have to be something which is more than just checking a box. It would have to be a legitimate discussion that would help me and others reach a conclusion consistent with the impartial justice oath that we’re going to take.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, warned that prematurely derailing the articles would set a dangerous precedent.
“It would be beneath the Senate’s dignity to shrug off our clear responsibility and fail to give the charges we’ll hear today the thorough consideration they deserve,” Mr. McConnell said.
Conservative senators threaten to withhold bipartisan cooperation that the Senate requires to conduct much of its daily business to protest Democrats’ plans to dismiss the case.
Mr. Mayorkas was impeached in February on a 214-213 vote, with no Democratic support. House leaders delayed transmitting the articles to the Senate. They first said they wanted to finish the 2024 spending bills and then delayed an additional week to try to pressure the chamber to hold a full trial.
Mr. Green, delivering the articles, closed his remarks with a reference to the presiding officer as “Mister President.”
“That would be Madame President,” sniffed Sen. Patty Murray, the Washington Democrat who serves as the Senate president pro tem and will preside over the trial.
In testifying to the House earlier, Mr. Mayorkas reminded Republicans why he was their chief target for impeachment once they took control of the chamber last year.
He refused to answer a series of questions, including whether the U.S. is in danger of a terrorist attack, whether he has briefed President Biden on the danger of terrorists crossing the border, or whether illegal immigrants should be able to obtain secure identification under the Real ID Act.
“Let me assure you, congressman, that the safety and security of the American people is our highest priority,” Mr. Mayorkas said repeatedly in response to the terrorism questions.
He said he doesn’t recall telling Border Patrol agents this year that more than 85% of migrants at the border are caught and released.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, called Mr. Mayorkas the smuggling cartels’ “best business partner” because of the massive amounts of cash they have raked in from the surge of illegal immigrants and drugs over the past three years.
Ms. Greene is one of the 11 impeachment managers. She walked alongside Mr. Green at the head of the procession as they carried the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
Mr. Mayorkas seemed to enjoy trolling the lawmakers.
At one point, a congressman setting up other questions asked how many times the secretary had taken an oath of office.
“I certainly can identify five,” he said. “There may be more than five instances.”
As the congressman tried to ask other questions, Mr. Mayorkas ticked off his oath-takings dating back to his time as a federal prosecutor.
Rep. Daniel Goldman, New York Democrat, called the Republicans’ questions “completely uncalled for, unwarranted personal attacks.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.