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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday he will offer a motion to dismiss the two House-passed articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, slamming the charges as “bogus” and lacking legitimacy.
Senators are set to be sworn in as jurors at 1 p.m., and Schumer said he will then seek a time agreement to allow Republicans to offer motions on trial resolutions and points of order. Then, he will move to quickly dismiss the matter.
“I will seek an agreement for a period of debate time that would allow Republicans to offer a vote on trial resolutions, allow for Republicans to offer points of order, and then move to dismiss,” Schumer announced.
“Let’s not kid ourselves about what’s going on today. The impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas has noting to do with crimes and misdemeanors and everything to do with helping Donald Trump on the campaign trail,” he said.
Democrats believe they have enough votes to dismiss the impeachment charges, something that requires only a simple majority.
The overwhelming majority of Democrats are expected to quash the articles and skip a possible trial.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who faces a competitive reelection race, hasn’t said how he will vote. If he votes with Republicans — and all 49 GOP senators vote against dismissing the articles — he could throw a wrench in Schumer’s plan to avoid a trial.
Schumer slammed the House indictment as the “least legitimate, least substantive and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States.”
Forty-three Republicans sent a letter to Schumer last week demanding he hold a trial, pointing out that the Senate has either held a full trial or referred charges to a special committee every other time the House has sent impeachment charges to the Senate over the past 225 years.
