Senator Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for his assertion that the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was merely over policy differences.
Ricketts asserted that Schumer’s characterization is completely inaccurate and described Schumer’s actions as “absolutely terrible.”
The Senate voted on Wednesday to dismiss the impeachment charges against Mayorkas without holding a trial, with every Democrat, including Schumer, voting in favor of dismissal.
Mayorkas (Credits: The Hill)
Ricketts took issue with Mayorkas’s actions, particularly referencing a memo from 2021 instructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to deport individuals solely for crossing the border illegally.
According to Ricketts, such actions amount to “flaunting the law,” and he further criticized Mayorkas for telling the House Judiciary Committee that the border was secure and under his absolute control, which Ricketts argued was not accurate.
Ricketts contended that these actions should have prompted a trial to examine whether Mayorkas was willfully disregarding the law or potentially lying to Congress, which he stated would constitute a felony and fall under the category of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Mayorkas (Credits: AP News)
Ricketts highlighted the historical precedent of impeachment proceedings, noting that of the 21 individuals previously impeached by Congress, 17 underwent a trial, while the remaining four either resigned or were expelled.
He argued that Schumer’s decision not to hold a trial breaks from this precedent, and he emphasized the importance of examining the evidence.
Ricketts criticized Schumer for dismissing the impeachment charges against Mayorkas without a trial and argued that the seriousness of the allegations warranted a thorough examination of the evidence. He accused Schumer of undermining the impeachment process by framing it as solely a matter of policy disagreement.
