The impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to begin this month over his role in the ongoing crisis at the southern border, with Democrats seeking re-election in battleground states facing a tight squeeze in the Senate. There is.
Multiple Republican Senate officials told Fox News Digital that Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Sen. Sherrod Brown He said he expected pressure to increase on members such as the Democratic Party of Japan. The Ohio Democrat and Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey face a fierce re-election battle in November.
Voters in each of the senators’ states have expressed strong concerns about the situation at the border.
The impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (center) will begin in the Senate as soon as the articles are delivered. Sens. Jon Tester (left) and Tammy Baldwin (right) are expected to be locked in a tight spot over the issue as they face fierce re-election battles in November. (Getty Images/File)
Tester will vote on border and immigration-related amendments as Republican senators recently negotiated a $1.2 trillion spending package that triggered a brief partial government shutdown before being passed last month. He accused the government of being reluctant to do so. Tester’s office denied the allegations.
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One Republican Senate leader predicted that Tester would be similarly cornered during impeachment proceedings: “He’s going to be on the record. There’s no way out,” the source said. They noted that Brown would also be tested in Mayorkas’ trial.
“Senator Tester will consider the article when it is sent to the Senate,” a representative for Tester told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (Getty Images/File)
The House passed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in early February, but put them on hold until after the appropriations process. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced in a letter last week that he intends to bring the article to the Senate on April 10th and asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-Denny Saney) to file a lawsuit. urged prompt action.
A Republican official said that when the articles are delivered, “all senators must be sworn in as jurors and sign the book.”
“It will actually go into trial mode, but Mr. Schumer will vote to reject it,” the source predicted.
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Schumer’s office did not comment to Fox News Digital.
“Everything is a simple majority,” the official said, meaning only 51 out of 100 senators are needed to move forward with any action.
Mr. Mayorkas is accused of perpetuating the crisis at the border. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File)
While Senate Democrats have largely dismissed the accusations against Mayorkas as meaningless political posturing, lawmakers in close general elections are weighing the impact of growing border concerns among voters. It is possible that you have received it. In a March Fox News poll, 41% of all registered voters agreed that the situation at the southern border was an emergency. This included 65% of Republicans, 31% of independents, and 20% of Democrats.
As a result, vulnerable Democratic senators are certain to come under attack from their Republican opponents while on the campaign trail, and their seriousness about the border crisis will be tested. A February memo from Tim Edson, political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, obtained by Fox News Digital recommended that Senate candidates hold Democratic candidates accountable.
“We cannot allow Senate Democrats to cover up the Biden administration’s failures at the southern border,” it reads. “Democrats are the ones who created this crisis, and a vote to acquit Mr. Mayorkas is a vote to condone the continued invasion of our country.”
“The Senate should hold a full impeachment trial,” Tester’s opponent, Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy, said in a statement.
“Senator Jon Tester wants to avoid trial and release Mr. Mayorkas because they support the radical left’s push for open borders and the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. We have accountability!” he continued.
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Representatives for Rosen, Baldwin, Brown and Casey did not respond to Fox News Digital for comment.
“If Bob Casey is serious about border security, I urge Chuck Schumer to pursue this investigation and hold him accountable,” Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Probably.”
“Senator Baldwin needs to make the case that: [Mayorkas] responsible. If she doesn’t, Wisconsin voters will hold her accountable for her inaction. ”
“If Sherrod Brown cares about the hard-working Ohioans affected by the border invasion and the fentanyl crisis, he will vote for Mayorkas in the Senate trial,” said Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno. I will hold him accountable.”
Voters across the country are increasingly concerned about the border crisis. (James Breeden, New York Post/Mega/File)
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-Va., who is sometimes out of step with Democrats, is likely to stick with his caucus if Democrats are likely to try to quickly dismiss the trial. It seems so. In February, he told Politico that any future impeachment would be “absolute nonsense,” adding that he hoped there would be “no trial at all.”
Mr. Manchin’s office referred to Mr. Manchin’s previous comments to Fox News Digital.
Republican strategist Brian Walsh, a former staffer to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said, “This is a big deal for Democratic senators like Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown, and Bob Casey going into the 2024 elections.” “It highlights a huge political vulnerability.”
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Walsh said they will be forced to “choose sides” between their base and “the vast majority of voters, including independents,” who say the border is the most important issue in the country. He added that it would be.
Senators face difficult decisions, but it is not clear whether all Republicans will support proceeding with the trial. Given the narrow 49-51 split between the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the Senate, every vote counts.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized the idea of a trial in late February, writing on A constitution will be enacted.” precedent. “
Mr. Romney’s office did not comment to Fox News Digital.
Other sources of concern about the impeachment effort are Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who previously opposed the conference. Neither agency provided comment to Fox News Digital regarding this matter.
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Meanwhile, Mayorkas will appear before Congress on April 10, when articles of impeachment are scheduled to be delivered to the Senate, and will appear at an unrelated hearing before the House Appropriations and Homeland Security Subcommittee on the department’s fiscal year 2025 budget request. It’s planned.
DHS has not provided comment to Fox News Digital.
