Senators sworn in for Mayorkas impeachment proceedings: Live coverage

[mystery-ak]

 Senators sworn in for Mayorkas impeachment proceedings: Live coverage
by The Hill staff - 04/17/24 1:55 PM ET

Senators are set for a showdown Wednesday over whether to hold a trial on the two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Democrats are expected to move to immediately dismiss the charges, while Republicans have pushed for a full trial.

The House sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate Tuesday — about two months after they passed the House is a narrow vote — and senators will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Follow along with live updates below:


1 of 1
02:10 PMApril 17, 2024
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Schumer raises point of order objection to dismiss first impeachment article

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has raised a point-of-order objection to the first article of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Senate Republicans have responded by asking for a quorum call to give them some time to decide their next move.

If the Senate votes to sustain Schumer’s point of order against the first House-passed article of impeachment, it would effectively dismiss the first charge against Mayorkas of willfully failing to comply with the law.

Then Schumer is expected to raise another point of order against the second impeachment article charging Mayorkas with breach of public trust.

Schumer moved to immediately dismiss the first article of impeachment after Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) objected to the Democratic leader’s request for unanimous consent to consider two Republican-sponsored resolutions to hold a floor trial and to refer the impeachment to a special committee.


— Alexander Bolton
02:07 PMApril 17, 2024
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Republicans huddle on Senate floor

Republican Sens. John Thune (S.D.), Ted Cruz (Texas), John Kennedy (La.), Mike Lee (Utah), John Cornyn (Texas) and Bill Cassidy (La.), along with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) top aide are huddling on the Senate floor as the Senate takes a vote.



— Al Weaver
02:00 PMApril 17, 2024
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Senators commanded to keep silent

Senate sergeant-at-arms Karen Gibson commanded all senators to “keep silent under the pain of imprisonment” while the Senate impeachment proceedings take place on the floor.

The strict limitations on senators’ speech on the floor during an impeachment trial makes it difficult for lawmakers to delay or interrupt the action.



— Alexander Bolton
01:32 PMApril 17, 2024
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Senators sworn in as jurors

Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) swore in members of the Senate around 1:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday to serve as jurors in the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Senators stood at their desks, holding their right hands in the air as they swore to “do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws.”

They then traveled to the Senate desk in groups of four to sign the oath book.



— Alexander Bolton
01:30 PMApril 17, 2024
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Murray sworn in to preside over chamber

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has sworn in Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to preside over the chamber as it takes up the articles of impeachment.


01:02 PMApril 17, 2024
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Tillis expects proceedings to conclude this afternoon

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said that a time agreement remains out of reach, but that he expects proceedings to end this afternoon.

“I think it’s going to be points of order, disposed over two hours,” he said, adding that he believes this will be wrapped up ahead of dinner time. “Without debate, it would just require too many points of order.”

“I’m not changing my dinner plans,” he added.

— Al Weaver

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4599718-mayorkas-impeachment-senate-live-coverage/

[mystery-ak]

02:22 PMApril 17, 2024
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Schumer tries to outflank Republicans with procedural tactic

In a crafty move, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is frontrunning Senate Republicans’ plan to offer multiple points of order on the Senate floor to protest the dismissal of the two impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Specifically, Schumer has offered his own point of order declaring that the House impeachment charges are unconstitutional because they do not “allege conduct that rise to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who is presiding over the trial, said she does not have the power or authority to decide the question and will let the entire Senate vote on Schumer’s objection.

Because Schumer is moving to effectively dismiss the first article of impeachment through a point of order, Republicans cannot first force the Senate to vote on their own points of order demanding a floor trial or to refer the impeachment to a special committee.



— Alexander Bolton
02:21 PMApril 17, 2024
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is huddling at the back of the chamber with fellow GOP Sens. John Kennedy (La.), Roger Marshall (Kansas) and Ted Budd (N.C.), along with House conservatives including Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.) and Clay Higgins (La.).

Republicans are deciding their next move after Schumer raised a point-of-order objection to the first article of impeachment.

— Al Weaver

[mystery-ak]

C-Span 2 is covering this live..

[mystery-ak]

[mystery-ak]

03:12 PMApril 17, 2024
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McConnell attempts to table Schumer objection to constitutionality

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) chided his Senate Democratic colleagues for not taking their constitutional duty more seriously by allowing the House impeachment managers to present their case against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the Senate floor.

“Our colleagues know that we ae obligated to take these proceedings seriously. This is what our oath prescribes. It’s what the history and precedent require. And I would urge each of our colleagues to consider that this is what the Framers actually envisioned,” he said.

The Senate rejected McConnell’s motion to table Schumer’s objection to the constitutionality of the House impeachment charges by a vote of 51 to 49.




— Alexander Bolton
03:05 PMApril 17, 2024
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Kennedy tries to adjourn impeachment proceedings in protest

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) attempted to force the Senate impeachment trial to adjourn to protest Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) effort to declare the two impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas unconstitutional.

“My Democratic friends have refused to go into closed session so we can’t discuss it. For that reason, Madam President, I move that we adjourn this court of impeachment immediately,” Kennedy announced.

He asked to adjourn the Senate impeachment proceeding until April 30.

The Senate voted down Kennedy’s motion to adjourn 51 to 49 along party lines.




— Alexander Bolton
02:56 PMApril 17, 2024
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Cruz tries to block Schumer attempt to dismiss first impeachment article

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) stood up on the Senate floor to block Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) attempt to declare the impeachment charges unconstitutional by offering a motion to send the Senate into closed session to debate it.

“The majority leader argued that Secretary Mayorkas’s defiance of immigration law and abiding and abetting, does not constitute a high crime or misdemeanor, he has presented no briefing or argument on that decision,” Cruz argued.

The Senate voted down the motion 51 to 49.

Schumer retorted that he offered Republicans a chance to debate the constitutionality of the charges in public.

“We gave your side a chance for debate in public where it should be, and your side objected. We are moving forward,” he declared.

— Alexander Bolton

[Bigun]

Democrats (read Communists) are always in 100% lockstep on everything!

[mystery-ak]

03:57 PMApril 17, 2024
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Scenes from the chamber

A motion from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) for the Senate to adjourn until May 1, 2004 — which he quickly corrected to 2024 — drew laughs from his fellow lawmakers.

It appears Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has been reading a magazine at times as the Senate moves through procedural votes.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) raised a parliamentary inquiry, asking if the Senate was about to set a precedent that an allegation of a felony was not a high crime or misdemeanor. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) ruled from the chair that it was “not an appropriate parliamentary inquiry,” earning mock laughs and groans of “oh, come on” from Republicans, particularly Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Some laughs could be heard on the Democratic side after Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) moved to adjourn the Senate until after the November election.

— Al Weaver
03:55 PMApril 17, 2024
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Wicker warns Senate setting bad precedent on lying to Congress

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned his Democratic colleagues were setting a bad precedent by offering a point of order declaring that the House had failed to allege a high crime or misdemeanor after accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of lying to Congress.

“I appreciate my friend from New York is eager to get this done with but are we about to set a precedent that the allegation of a felony is not a high crime and misdemeanor?” he said, referring to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

But Wicker’s query on the subject was not well received by Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) who ruled from the chair that it was “not an appropriate parliamentary inquiry.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pointed out that making false statements is a violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1001 and a felony offense.

“If this is not that high crime and misdemeanor, what is,” Lee demanded. 



— Alexander Bolton
03:43 PMApril 17, 2024
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Fetterman calls out Mayorkas impeachment as 'bad performance art'

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) criticized the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as “bad performance art and a waste of time.”

“The House GOP can’t seem to grasp that impeachment is a constitutional tool reserved for cases of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’ not political vendettas,” Fetterman said in a statement.

“These efforts by Speaker Johnson and the House GOP to cheapen a solemn process like impeachment for political gain set a bad precedent and divert attention from the real problem: the crisis at our border,” he continued.

“This stunt is nothing more than bad performance art and a waste of time,” Fetterman added. “House Republicans are doing everything they can to turn the United States Congress into the Jerry Springer Show. It’s charades like this that make people hate Washington.”

— Tara Suter



03:37 PMApril 17, 2024
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Republicans make second attempt to adjourn impeachment proceeding

Senate Republicans tried again to force the Senate impeachment trial to adjourn to protest Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) point-of-order objections against the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) offered the motion to adjourn the court of impeachment but it failed by a vote of 49 to 51.

— Alexander Bolton



03:31 PMApril 17, 2024
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Schumer moves to dismiss second impeachment charge

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moved to quickly dismiss the second impeachment charge against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, raising a point of order that the House managers had failed to allege conduct rising to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor.

The second article of impeachment accuses Mayorkas of breaching the public trust by making false statements to Congress and failing to comply with congressional subpoenas.

He did so moments after the Senate voted 51 to 48 to dismiss the first article of impeachment against Mayorkas, accusing him of willfully refusing to comply with immigration law.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) sprang to his feet to block Schumer’s point of order by offering a motion to force the Senate to go into closed session to debate the constitutionality of the second impeachment charge.

“Article II accuses him of knowingly making false statements. This is a violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, a felony offense. If this I not that high crime and misdemeanor, what is?” Lee exclaimed.

Lee’s motion failed by a vote of 49 to 51.

— Alexander Bolton




03:28 PMApril 17, 2024
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Why Mayorkas is being accused of lying to Congress

Amid discussions over whether the second article of impeachment raises constitutional questions, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) noted the article accuses Mayorkas of lying to Congress.

Those accusations relate to testimony Mayorkas gave responding to questions over whether the border was operationally secure. House GOP lawmakers argued he did not meet the definition under the Secure Fence Act, which says such a standard is met only when not a single person or good wrongly crosses the border.

Mayorkas’s numerous responses to whether he has operational control of the border were laid out in a memo from Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

“I do, and congressman, I think the secretary of Homeland Security would have said the same thing in 2020 and 2019,” Mayorkas said in a 2022 exchange when asked if he met the standard.

In a July hearing, Mayorkas said: “With respect to the definition of operational control, I do not use the definition that appears in the Secure Fence Act. And the Secure Fence Act provides statutorily that operational control is defined as preventing all unlawful entries into the United States. By that definition, no administration has ever had operational control.”

— Rebecca Beitsch



03:23 PMApril 17, 2024
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Senate votes to effectively dismiss first Mayorkas charge

The Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to sustain a point-of-order objection raised by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) against the first article of impeachment approved by the House accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of willfully refusing to comply with the law.

Schumer declared that the charge was unconstitutional because the House impeachment managers had failed to allege conduct rising to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor, the standard set by Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution.

The Senate voted 51 to 48 to sustain the objection. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted present.

— Alexander Bolton

[mystery-ak]

Schumer succeeds in dismantling Mayorkas impeachment trial
By
Anna Giaritelli
and
David Sivak
April 17, 2024 3:45 pm

Senate Democrats quickly dashed House Republicans’ effort to force the upper chamber to put impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on trial.

The Senate voted Wednesday the first article of impeachment against Mayorkas is unconstitutional, effectively dismissing it, at the request of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The vote was 51-48-1, with all Democrats voting in favor of quickly killing off the first charge against Mayorkas. All Republicans voted no, except Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who voted “present.”

Schumer is expected to make a similar effort to dispose of the second and final article of impeachment against Mayorkas, President Joe Biden’s top border official.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/2969707/schumer-succeeds-in-dismantling-mayorkas-impeachment-trial/

[mystery-ak]

Charlie Kirk
@charliekirk11
BREAKING: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has just moved to "table" the impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas arguing it didn't amount to high crimes or misdemeanors.

TRANSLATION: Schumer just refused to hold a trial on the man overseeing the single worst illegal invasion in US history. He will receive zero accountability.
2:09 PM · Apr 17, 2024
·
121.3K
 Views

[Bigun]

As ordered by our rulers!

[mystery-ak]

04:16 PMApril 17, 2024
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It appears the long day and multiple procedural votes may be wearing on senators.

Three had to switch their votes on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) point of order after initially voting the wrong way.

— Al Weaver

[mystery-ak]

04:18 PMApril 17, 2024
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Senate dismisses second impeachment article

The Senate voted Wednesday to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, shutting down the possibility of a lengthy Senate trial, which Republicans had demanded to bring attention to the Biden administration’s record on immigration and border security.

It marked the first time in 225 years the Senate voted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges approved by the House instead of holding a floor trial or referring the matter to a special committee to review it.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

— Alexander Bolton

[mystery-ak]

That's it


Senate adjourns

The Senate concluded the proceedings by voting 51 to 49 to adjourn as a court of impeachment.

[libertybele]

Well, that turned out as well as to be expected.   

Next.

[Timber Rattler]

Is anybody really surprised at the outcome?

 

[Cyber Liberty]

That's it


Senate adjourns

The Senate concluded the proceedings by voting 51 to 49 to adjourn as a court of impeachment.

So who were the turncoats?  Romney and who else?

[Smokin Joe]

As ordered by our rulers!

Apparently over 8 million counts of aiding and abetting the commission of a felony (immigration law violations) is just not enough.

[Smokin Joe]

Is anybody really surprised at the outcome?

 

Nope. Just disappointed. They will bray, without hearing any evidence, that Mayorkas is innocent of any wrongdoing, just as they bray about all the court cases brought over election fraud (in which no evidence was ever introduced, either, because none got to discovery before being summarily dismissed.

This isn't even a bad parody of justice, it is not so much as a miscarriage, it is a brutal abortion.

[Timber Rattler]

So who were the turncoats?  Romney and who else?

It was Murkowski. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-votes-down-first-impeachment-article-against-dhs-secretary-mayorkas

The article was deemed unconstitutional by a vote of 51-48, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting present.

(snip)

After another batch of motions to avoid voting on Schumer's second point of order, which would deem the second article unconstitutional, the Senate agreed to it. The vote was along party lines 51-49, with Murkowski rejoining the Republicans.

[Cyber Liberty]

It was Murkowski. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-votes-down-first-impeachment-article-against-dhs-secretary-mayorkas

Yeah, that figures.  She's still shaking from having Feinswine yell at her in that hallway.

[mountaineer]

Here’s the truth. Mayorkas illegally paroled Laken Riley’s killer into the US. He had a criminal record. He then committed a crime against a child in New York. No prosecution. In fact, HE GOT A WORK PERMIT. And then he killed Laken. Mayorkas knew *all* this. He lied about it

https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1780983482589581640