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.), effectively dismissing 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 51-48 to sustain the objection. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted present.

Republicans tried to delay Schumer’s effort to dismiss the charge by offering motions to send the Senate into closed session to debate the charges, to adjourn the impeachment proceeding until April 30 and to table Schumer’s objection.

The Senate voted 51-49 three times along party lines to dismiss those motions.