House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced on Thursday that two articles of impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be delivered to the Senate early next month.
In a letter addressed to Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Johnson pressured the Senate Majority Leader to hold an impeachment trial for the DHS Secretary, who was impeached by House Republicans last month. The articles are expected to be sent April 10, he wrote.
The letter was also signed by House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX), and several other House Republicans.
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“If he cares about the Constitution and ending the devastation caused by Biden’s border catastrophe, Sen. Schumer will quickly schedule a full public trial and hear the arguments put forth by our impeachment managers,” Rep. Johnson said in a statement, following the release of the letter.
House Republicans voted to impeach Mayorkas last month over claims that he had “refused to comply” with immigration law, allegedly directing DHS employees to violate the law. Republicans have used Mayorkas’ impeachment as a lightning rod for their criticism of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Southern border.
Once the two charges arrive at the Senate, Sen. Schumer will have to decide whether to dismiss charges, hold a full trial, as Republicans have requested, or refer the issue to a special evidentiary committee. For Mayorkas to be removed, two-thirds of the Senate would need to vote in favor of his impeachment.
Johnson wrote that Schumer must fulfill his “constitutional obligation” to impeach Mayorkas. “We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously,” he wrote.
