White House calls Mayorkas impeachment effort ‘complete waste of time’ ahead of articles going to Senate

The White House on Monday bashed the impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that are expected to be presented to the Senate this week.

In a memo first exclusively shared with The Hill, the White House doubled down on criticism that the impeachment effort is “baseless” and a “stunt.”

“This effort is a complete waste of time that constitutional and legal experts have said is ‘unconstitutional’ and that even Senate Republicans have made clear they don’t want to focus on,” spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams said.

“But the worst part is that extreme Republicans have promoted this silly, baseless stunt at the same time they have killed an actual bipartisan border security bill that would have addressed the challenges at the border and delivered needed resources to [Homeland Security],” he added. “It is cynical and outrageous.”

Senate aides told The Hill they expect Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to immediately dismiss the impeachment charges against Mayorkas. The House impeachment managers are expected to formally present the charges to the Senate on Wednesday. 

In the memo, Sams pointed to a letter constitutional law experts wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in January that called impeachment of Mayorkas unjustified. And he noted that Jonathan Turley, a conservative pundit and legal scholar, wrote in a column in January that there is no evidence Mayorkas is corrupt, warning that impeachment is a slippery slope.

Additionally, he noted that Republican senators have warned against impeachment, pointing to Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who said it is “obviously dead on arrival” in the upper chamber. 

“For months, Senate Republicans have warned against this effort by extreme House Republicans,” Sams said. “And it isn’t just coming from more moderate Senators, even conservative members are saying this is a ‘waste of time’ and ‘dead on arrival’ – and that the House Republicans making the case have ‘got nothing.’”

A vote to dismiss the articles of impeachment may get Republican support, as several GOP senators have expressed skepticism about the strength of the case against Mayorkas. Any motion to dismiss or table the charges against Mayorkas would need only a simple majority to pass, and Democrats hold a 51-49 seat advantage in the Senate.

Sams on Monday called on Republicans to work with President Biden on the situation at the southern border with Mexico instead of focusing on Mayorkas.

In February, Johnson declared a bipartisan border agreement negotiated in the Senate dead on arrival in the House, and Republicans have demanded Biden use his executive authority to address the border. The president and White House officials have said Biden has exhausted his options.

“Instead of more of these political stunts, congressional Republicans should work with President Biden to actually address this issue in a bipartisan manner. It’s time to stop these baseless, cynical games,” Sams said in Monday’s memo.