A disgraceful impeachment process

By U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer
R-Nebraska

For years, Democrats have refused to address the out-of-control crisis on our southern border, putting politics over the safety and security of the American people. Last week, they put politics over people again — refusing to hold a full trial to consider the impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The Constitution of the United States gives the U.S. Senate the sole power to try all impeachments. As members of the Senate, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and to faithfully discharge the duties of our office. By refusing to hold a full trial last week, my Democrat colleagues abdicated their constitutional duty and their responsibility to millions of Americans.

Since the founding of our nation over two centuries ago, the House of Representatives has sent impeachment articles to the Senate 21 times. The Senate scheduled a trial for every single case, unless the officer resigned prior to the trial. 

Every case, that is, until last week. 

The Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, threw aside centuries of tradition and established a disgraceful precedent by deciding to dismiss the articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas. This horrible decision puts future impeachments in jeopardy. Now, whoever is in the majority can follow in Schumer’s footsteps, dismissing any impeachment trial that’s politically inconvenient.

No matter how anyone feels about Secretary Mayorkas, this is a slap in the face to the institution of the Senate, to our Founding Fathers, and to the millions of Americans we represent. Unfortunately, the Democrats’ disregard for the charges against Secretary Mayorkas also reflects Democrats’ disregard for the catastrophe they’ve created at our southern border.

On day one of his administration, President Biden slashed the effective Trump-era border fixes like building a wall and the Remain in Mexico policy, which required migrants to wait in another country while their asylum applications were considered. Every day since, President Biden has made the same faulty choices.

Over the past three years, we have seen illegal immigration skyrocket under President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas — driving up rates of trafficking and crime at the southern border and across our country.

Under this administration, fentanyl that’s being smuggled across the border is killing tens of thousands of people. Criminals and gang members who were released into our country are assaulting people. Chinese nationals affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party are sneaking past the border illegally. In total, over nine million illegal immigrants — four times the population of Nebraska — have entered our country since President Biden took office.

The House of Representatives impeached Secretary Mayorkas over his handling of this crisis, and the Senate has a constitutional duty to consider those charges. Unfortunately, the Democrats abdicated that duty and placed their own political agenda over our solemn duty as Senators to serve as jurors of impeachment. I will continue taking my commitment to the Constitution and the people I serve seriously — and I’ll continue urging my colleagues to do the same, whether it’s politically convenient or not.

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