Senate Democrats last Wednesday voted to reject the two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas without holding a trial, the Associated Press reported.
House impeachment managers delivered the impeachment articles to the Senate chamber last Tuesday and read the charges from the Senate floor.
Under the rules of impeachment, the Senate is obligated to hold a trial. However, after senators were sworn in, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the Senate to dismiss the two articles, arguing that the House failed to meet “the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Schumer said the senators should dismiss the charges “for the sake of the Senate’s integrity” and protect the impeachment process “for those rare cases we truly need it.”
It was clear from the start that the Democrat-controlled Senate had no plans to hold an impeachment trial. Typically, tables are placed on the floor of the Senate – one for the defense and another for the House impeachment managers. However, the tables were not set up in advance.
Republicans attempted to stop the dismissal but Senate Democrats blocked them.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) offered a motion for the Senate to debate the constitutionality of the articles against Mayorkas in a private session but Democrats rejected the motion.
Missouri Republican Senator Eric Schmitt accused the Democrats of “bulldozing 200 years of precedent” by dismissing the articles before the trial.
The Senate voted 51-48 and 51-49 to dismiss the two charges along party lines.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned the Democrats that they would regret their decision.
McConnell, who as Majority Leader held impeachment trials for both of Donald Trump’s impeachments, told the Democrats that history would not judge them well for their decision to bypass the trial.
McConnell said the process should “not be abused” or “short-circuited.”
