House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent a letter to Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), stating that the articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be presented to the Senate on April 10.
Johnson urged that the trial be scheduled “expeditiously.”
Last month, the House voted to impeach Mayorkas for “high crimes and misdemeanors, including his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and his breach of the public trust,” the letter noted.
“The constitutional grounds for Secretary Mayorkas’ conviction and removal from office are well-founded, and the historical record is clear,” Johnson added. “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,” the letter declared. “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.”
Those who signed the letter include Johnson, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AX), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Michael Guest (R-TX), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), August Pfluger (R-TX), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), and Laurel Lee (R-FL).
In February, the House voted 214 to 213 to impeach Mayorkas.
Following the vote, the White House released a statement, saying, “History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games.”
“Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his family as political refugees, has spent more than two decades serving America with integrity in a decorated career in law enforcement and public service. From his time in the Justice Department as a U.S. Attorney to his service as Deputy Secretary and now Secretary of Homeland Security, he has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great.”
Biden called the impeachment a “political stunt.”
“This impeachment already failed once on a bipartisan vote. Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security.”
