(RightWing.org) – Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has just suffered the huge indignity of being the first serving cabinet member to be impeached since the 19th century. Of course, with the Democrats still controlling the Senate, he probably isn’t going to be removed from office. Nevertheless, some Republicans are pressing the Senate Minority Leader to push hard for a full impeachment trial.
On February 13, the House voted to impeach Mayorkas for refusing to enforce immigration law. It was the second attempt — the first failed when three Republicans voted with the Democrats — and passed with a narrow 214-213 majority. Now Senate Democrats are planning to kill it off as fast as they can before Republicans can use a long trial to highlight the Biden administration’s border security failures.
Several GOP senators don’t want to let them get away with it. Thirteen of them, including Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), have written to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) asking him to “fully engage our Constitutional duty and hold a trial.” Cruz has already called on his Senate colleagues to “show some backbone” over Mayorkas, and he’s angry at Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who’s planning to either reject the articles of impeachment or push for a quick trial that would see Mayorkas swiftly cleared.
According to Cruz this is a great opportunity for the Senate Republican leadership to take a hard line with the administration over the border issue. Not all GOP senators are so enthusiastic, though. McConnell says he hasn’t really thought about the Mayorkas impeachment, and added that he doesn’t expect an “endless” trial. Meanwhile, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said the impeachment will be “dead on arrival,” and pointed out that even if Mayorkas was forced out of office, the border problems would remain, because “we’ve got the same president who’s driving the policy.”
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