On Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the 11 House impeachment managers revealed in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) the date that they will send the articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro to the upper chamber. The date in question is April 10, which comes as the chamber returns from the Easter recess and almost two months after the House voted to impeach Mayorkas on February 13.
"We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously," the letter mentions, as it lays out the details of the evidence against Mayorkas for "his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and his breach of the public trust." As the letter adds, [t]he evidence on both charges is clear, comprehensive, and compelling..."
The last two paragraphs of the letter also lay out the constitutional duty that the Senate has here:
The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal from office are well-founded, and the historical record is clear. The Framers of our Constitution gave Congress this authority for scenarios where executive branch officials, who are responsible for executing the laws passed by Congress, flout the law substituting their own judgment for that of Congress.
We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial. The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible. To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.
As the letter makes reference to, the Democratically-controlled Senate has toyed with the idea of tabling the articles, and Schumer has not even said what he'll do with the articles, though he's been quite clear in referring to the move as "a sham" and "a new low for House Republicans." However, Republicans like Sens. Mike Lee (UT) and Ted Cruz (TX) have been vocal about the importance of a trial in the Senate, and of Republican Senate leadership pushing for that trial, even if some other Senate Republicans have been less than supportive of the effort.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) had acknowledged last month that "the House of Representatives has determined that Secretary Mayorkas has committed impeachable offenses. That issue will come before the United States Senate. I believe the Senate needs to hold a trial," which, as The Hill highlighted, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated he agreed with.
The 11 House impeachment managers include House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who was particularly instrumental in this impeachment effort coming to be. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ, Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Michael Guest (R-MS), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), August Pfluger (R-TX), Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and Laurel Lee (R-FL) also signed on.
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