Rumors abound that Senate Democrats want to avoid holding a trial on the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by “tabling” or otherwise dismissing the House impeachment articles. But doing so would be contrary to the Senate’s impeachment trial rules and its own historical practice.
The Senate has never refused to hold a trial when the impeached public official remained in office.
The House of Representatives impeached Mayorkas on Feb. 13 for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Critics try to trivialize this serious step by claiming that the conflict is simply a disagreement over immigration policy. That disagreement certainly exists, but the House impeached Mayorkas for “willful and systematic refusal to comply” with federal immigration law.
The first article of impeachment, in fact, lists seven different examples of…
