Republicans warned Senate Democrats that they would face consequences in the upcoming November general election for their votes to kill the impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed points of order to deem the House-passed articles of impeachment unconstitutional, which all Democrats supported. This decision included vulnerable Democratic incumbents, and Republican leaders criticized the Democrats for their choice, warning that they would be held accountable by the American people at the ballot box.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas criticized his Democratic colleagues for disregarding their duty to the American people, while Senator Jon Tester defended his vote by stating that Montanans want real solutions for border security, not partisan games. Tester’s race is considered one of the most competitive races in the country leading up to the November election. Republicans expressed disappointment over the precedent set by the impeachment trial proceedings, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remarking that the Senate could now ignore impeachment from the House, which he deemed as a regrettable moment in Senate history.
President Biden’s administration celebrated the result of the Senate’s vote to reject the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas, with DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg emphasizing that there was no evidence or Constitutional grounds to justify impeachment. White House spokesperson Ian Sams echoed this sentiment, stating that conservative legal scholars had also deemed the impeachment as unconstitutional. Biden and Mayorkas were committed to continuing their work to keep America safe and address border issues. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans criticized the Democrats for their decision and accused them of trying to sweep the Biden administration’s failing border policies under the rug.
Despite the backlash from Republicans, Senate Democrats stood by their decision to reject the impeachment, with National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell accusing them of failing to hold President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas accountable for their border policies. The Senate’s dismissal of the impeachment raised concerns among Republicans who saw it as setting a troubling precedent, especially in comparison to the impeachment proceedings against former President Trump. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri criticized the Democrats for voting that a felony could not be an impeachable crime, drawing parallels to the impeachment of Trump without criminal charges during his presidency.
Looking ahead to the November election, Republicans warned that every Democrat, including the vulnerable Senate incumbents, would pay a heavy price for refusing to end the border crisis through the impeachment trial. Despite the Democrats’ decision to vote along party lines and dismiss the articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas, the Republican Party remained steadfast in their criticism of the proceedings and vowed to hold the Democrats accountable. As the election approaches, the fallout from the impeachment trial and the border crisis could impact the campaigns of both parties and shape the political landscape leading up to November.
