White House praises Senate for ‘rightly’ voting down Mayorkas impeachment

The White House on Wednesday praised the Senate for dismissing two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, reiterating its stance that the effort was baseless. 

“Once and for all, the Senate has rightly voted down this baseless impeachment that even conservative legal scholars said was unconstitutional,” said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations.

The move on Wednesday shut 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.

Sams criticized Republicans for the situation at the border after the House GOP didn’t move on a border deal negotiated earlier this year by a bipartisan group of Senators.

“President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas will continue doing their jobs to keep America safe and pursue actual solutions at the border, and Congressional Republicans should join them, instead of wasting time on baseless political stunts while killing real bipartisan border security reforms,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued a trial wasn’t necessary, adding that the House had sent over “the least legitimate, least substantive and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States.”

The move marked the first time 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.

The White House has consistently called the impeachment proceedings baseless, unconstitutional and politically motivated and slammed House Republicans who voted in February to impeach Mayorkas, arguing that history will not look kindly on those lawmakers.