The Senate voted that the first article of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas is unconstitutional because it does not contain a felony or misdemeanor.
Here’s how it went:
The Senate rejected Article 1 of Mayorka’s impeachment, deeming it unconstitutional because it is not a high crime or a misdemeanor.
(Now let’s move on to item 2 itself.)
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Notably, 1 Republican – Murkowski – voted “present.” So not bipartisan, but not all Republicans voted…
– Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) April 17, 2024
The vote was 51-46, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska present.
This was a historic vote by the Senate, which has never declared an article of impeachment unconstitutional. Senate Republicans sought to move the impeachment debate to a closed session and then delay the impeachment trial for two weeks.
Senate Republicans are trying to argue that Mayorkas committed a crime by lying to Congress, but there is no evidence that Mayorkas lied to Congress.
House Republicans sent articles of impeachment to the Senate that did not contain a high crime or misdemeanor, so the Senate majority rejects them as invalid. Senate Republicans say they are concerned about a precedent, but House Republicans have already set a precedent by sending such flimsy articles of impeachment to the Senate in the first place.
House Republicans are being completely humiliated as their abuse of the impeachment process is not tolerated by the Senate majority.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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