WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – In a late-night vote on Tuesday, the House voted 214 to 213 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border.
“We had to do that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said, “He abdicated his responsibility. He’s breached the public trust.”
Johnson applauded the historic vote, which marked the first time a cabinet secretary has been impeached in nearly 150 years. But Democrats, including Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, blasted the move.
“This impeachment against Mayorkas is a sham,” Rep. Castro said. “This process is a sham. The charges are a sham.”
Now, the impeachment articles will be sent to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where senators will determine whether to proceed forward with a trial or vote to dismiss it altogether.
“Everyone in the Senate views the Mayorkas impeachment as a stunt, they don’t view it as serious,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virgina, said. “And we are going to dispatch of it quickly. Whether that is done by a motion to dismiss or a referral to committee.”
Kaine says an impeachment trial would be a waste of time. Senators aren’t scheduled to return until the end of the month and must pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown in March.
“We are not going to spend much time on it in the Senate,” he said. “We need to focus on the appropriations bill.”
In the meantime, Mayorkas will keep his job. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will address the impeachment trial when they return on Feb. 26.
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