UPDATED 3:40 P.M.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Democratic-majority U.S. Senate on Wednesday dismissed both impeachment charges against President Joe Biden’s top border official, bring a swift end to an effort that House of Representatives Republicans launched months ago.
In a series of partisan votes, the Senate dismissed the charges accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of not enforcing U.S. border laws and lying to Congress.
Mayorkas denied both charges.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer engineered the outcome that protected Mayorkas from losing his Cabinet-level job by averting a trial in which senators were sworn-in to judge the case.
Republican senators protested the move, insisting on a full-blown trial and then repeatedly sought delays when it became clear that there would be no trial.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of his presidential campaign against Biden.
Schumer argued that Republicans had abused the Constitution’s impeachment mechanism to remove officials from office for high crimes, misdemeanors and treason.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell earlier had called for a “thorough consideration” of the charges against Mayorkas. Disposing of the case without a trial, McConnell added in a Senate speech, “would mean running away both from our fundamental responsibility and from the glaring truth of the record-breaking crisis at our southern border.”
Earlier this year, a bipartisan immigration reform bill was floated in the Senate, only to be immediately shot down by Trump. That led to a collapse of support among Republicans for the legislation.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton and Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Stephen Coates and Jonathan Oatis)
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UPDATED 3:21 P.M.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate on Wednesday dismissed the first of two impeachment charges against President Joe Biden’s top border official and majority Democrats then moved on to try to dismiss the second charge and bring the process to a quick end.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was charged in February by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives with failing to enforce the nation’s immigration laws and lying to Congress — charges he denies. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of his presidential campaign against Biden.
By a vote of 51-48, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski voting “present,” the Senate dismissed the House’s accusation that Mayorkas failed to enforce U.S. immigration laws.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer then moved to dismiss the second charge that Mayorkas lied to Congress.
Schumer’s maneuvers were aimed at avoiding a formal Senate trial, arguing that Republicans were abusing the Constitution’s impeachment mechanism to remove officials from office for high crimes, misdemeanors and treason.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell earlier had called for a “thorough consideration” of the charges against Mayorkas. Disposing of the case without a trial, McConnell added in a Senate speech, “would mean running away both from our fundamental responsibility and from the glaring truth of the record-breaking crisis at our southern border.”
Earlier this year, a bipartisan immigration reform bill was floated in the Senate, only to be immediately shot down by Trump. That led to a collapse of support among Republicans for the legislation.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton and Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Stephen Coates and Jonathan Oatis)
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday moved to dismiss the first of two articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas was charged in February by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives with failing to enforce the nation’s immigration laws and lying to Congress — charges he denies. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of his presidential campaign against Biden.
Immediately after the swearing in of the 100 senators to be jurors in a trial to judge Mayorkas’ guilt or innocence, Schumer proposed a truncated schedule for debating the charges, without holding a full-blown trial.
Republicans objected and Schumer then made a move to dismiss the first of the two charges, saying, “impeachment Article 1 does not allege conduct that rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor.”
Republicans, fighting to block the move, then put the Senate into a procedural holding pattern. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber
Next steps were unclear.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell earlier had called for a “thorough consideration” of the charges against Mayorkas. Disposing of the case without a trial, McConnell added in a Senate speech, “would mean running away both from our fundamental responsibility and from the glaring truth of the record-breaking crisis at our southern border.”
Republicans have prepared an assault on any move to dismiss the charges without a trial. Even with a trial, it is unlikely there are enough votes to convict Mayorkas, which would strip him of his job.
Republicans were expected to resort to a series of procedural moves that would take time for senators to work their way through.
Earlier this year, a bipartisan immigration reform bill was floated in the Senate, only to be immediately shot down by Trump. That led to a collapse of support among Republicans for the legislation.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton and Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone, Stephen Coates and Jonathan Oatis)
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