GOP putting vulnerable Senate Democrats on defense with Mayorkas impeachment

House Republicans have announced that after weeks of waiting they will send to the Senate two articles of impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next month. GOP strategists claim this move will make vulnerable Democrats, such as Sens. Jon Tester, (Mont. ) Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester (Mont.)

Republicans admit that the impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas will not be successful in the Senate. However, they claim that votes by Democrats who are politically vulnerable to dismiss the charges would cause political damage. This raises the question whether Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) might try to protect his members by delaying a vote to after Election Day.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R.-La.). Schumer received a letter from Johnson on Thursday, informing him that the House would send the articles of impeachment to the Senate by April 10.

I would say that it is the greatest threat to Sherrod and Jon Tester. A Senate Republican strategist told reporters that the issue was “a really, really terrible one for them.” The Republicans believe the two Democrats are vulnerable on immigration and border security issues.

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The strategist stated that they were “caught between what their base wants and what their majority state wants”.

Trump won Ohio in 2016 with 51,3 percent and in 2020 he received 53 percent. He also won Montana in 2016, with 55.6 percent, and in 2020, with 56.9 percent.

Republican strategists have already started to target House Democrats who voted against Mayorkas in Senate races that are competitive.

“The impeachment was both good policy, and good politics,” said Constantin Qerard, a Republican Strategist based in Arizona where Democrats are trying keep control of the Senate seat currently held by retiring Senator Kyrsten Gillianbrand (I-Ariz.).

He pointed out that Rep. Ruben Galego (D, Arizona), the likely Democratic candidate for Senate, voted twice against impeaching Mayorkas in House.

Querard said that Gallego was a Mayorkas supporter, regardless of who the Republican nominee may be. It’s just one more piece of the larger battle against illegal immigration, which is clearly a major issue in this country.

Schumer dismissed impeachment articles earlier this month as “absurd,” indicating a lack of willingness to allow the House impeachment managers to consume days of Senate Floor time presenting their argument against Mayorkas.

He said: “I don’t think there’s any evidence that he has committed any impeachable actions or activities and I find it absurd.”

Schumer’s Office said that after the House managers present the articles of impeachment to Senate, the senators would be sworn as jurors the following day for a court trial. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside the chamber.

The Speaker tried to increase pressure on Schumer on Thursday to allow the full trial to continue.

After sending Schumer an official letter informing him that House impeachment manager will bring their allegations to the Senate following the Easter recess, Johnson stated: “If he is concerned about the Constitution and the destruction caused by Biden’s border catastrophe, he will schedule a public trial quickly and hear the arguments presented by our impeachment management.”

Schumer is expected to vote quickly to dismiss this issue, but it could expose Schumer’s vulnerable Democratic colleagues to new attacks on immigration.

Mia Ehrenberg, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, pointed out that 3 House Republicans voted against impeachment and accused Speaker John Boehner and the impeachment managers of ‘trampling the Constitution for political gains.

Ehrenberg stated that “House Republicans falsely defamed a dedicated public service who has spent more than twenty years serving our country and enforcing laws.”

On February 6, the first attempt to remove Mayorkas from office failed by a vote 214-216 in the House. The following week, it was passed by a vote 214-213.

The Senate’s $1 trillion spending package passed last week included a number of amendments relating to immigration. This has already made vulnerable Democratic senators the target of heavy criticism.

Stephen Miller, senior adviser to Trump on domestic policy, appeared this week on a conservative radio talk show in Montana and attacked Tester regarding immigration issues.

He said, “Jon Tester… voted against the Laken Riley Act,” on “Montana Talks,” referring to an amendement sponsored by Sen. Ted Budd(R-N.C.), to the spending package.

The amendment would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and hold illegal immigrants who commit thefts, burglaries and larceny until they were removed from the United States. The bill was passed by the House as a stand-alone bill earlier this month.

“How did Jon Tester vote? Miller stated that he wanted to “keep the criminal migrants in America.”

Budd’s Amendment failed on a party-line vote, 47 to 51. All Democrats voted against it.

Senate Republicans forced Democrats into tough votes over several other immigration-related changes to the spending package. One of these amendments was sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and would bar federal funds for cities who refuse to comply with Department of Homeland Security’s requests to notify federal officials when illegal immigrants were released from custody.

The Democrats also voted in bloc against an Amendment sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. This amendment would have prohibited federal funding for flights that bring migrants to the United States.

The proposal was made in response to the Biden policy, which began at the beginning of 2023, allowing migrants to enter the United States for two years with a sponsor if they arrive at a designated airport and have a sponsor.

Mike Berg, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that it would be impossible for Senate Democrats campaigning on border security when they oppose measures of common sense like the Laken Riley Act which would require ICE to arrest criminal illegal immigrants.

“They unanimously voted for the continuation of funding sanctuary cities, and Joe Biden’s secret flights to bring migrants into our country. “Democrats created this crisis, and they refuse to fix it,” said he.

A “fact-check” by the Associated Press of Republican claims that Biden’s administration secretly flew migrants into the United States found that Biden had parole authority under a law from 1952 to admit refugees on a case-bycase basis, for urgent humanitarian purposes.

Senate Democrats attempted to turn the tables on Republicans last week after only four GOP senators opposed a bipartisan deal for border security that was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The bill would have given President Obama the power to act as an emergency in limiting the number of migrants. It also reforms the asylum system and increases funding for Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Patrol.

Democrats claimed that Republican opposition to this deal was evidence of the Republicans’ lack of commitment.