Washington — House Republicans have decided to delay sending the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate until next week. This decision comes as there are concerns about the timing of the impeachment trial, with Senate Democrats expected to swiftly move to dismiss it.
"To ensure the Senate has enough time to fulfill its constitutional obligation, the House will deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week," a spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson stated.
Last month, Johnson and the 11 impeachment managers wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, informing him that they would present the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Wednesday, April 10, and urging him to schedule a trial promptly. However, worries about GOP attendance for a likely late vote on Thursday seemed to have caused Republicans to reconsider their initial timeline.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Schumer emphasized the urgency of resolving the issue at hand as quickly as possible. With Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents holding 51 seats in the Senate, they are poised to vote to dismiss or delay the proceedings with a simple majority, as long as they can maintain unity. The absence of any Republicans would further facilitate the Democrats' efforts.
"We don't want this to come over on the eve of the moment when members might be operating under the influence of jet-fume intoxication," Lee remarked at a news conference, advocating for the Senate to address the issue early in the week.
