An editorial in the Wall Street Journal penned by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), along with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has expressed criticism towards Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The piece suggests that Senate Democrats are attempting to halt impeachment proceedings for Mayorkas without a trial, an action they argue contravenes Senate rules.
The Senators stated, "The Constitution, Senate rules and precedent are clear: The Senate has an obligation to vote on articles of impeachment. In the nation’s history, there have been 21 instances in which the House has sent articles of impeachment to the Senate. In three of those cases, the official who was impeached had left office, so the Senate didn’t proceed. In the other 18 cases—including Donald Trump’s second impeachment, which the House delivered after his term ended—the Senate conducted a trial and senators ultimately voted guilty or not guilty. That’s the process demanded by the Constitution and clearly laid out in the Senate rules."
According to their op-ed, there is no protocol within Senate impeachment rules to table a hearing. While motions to table legislation occur frequently, during matters of impeachment they say "the chamber operates under special rules that resemble a court’s process to preserve justice."
Cruz and Lee continued: "Republicans have respected this process. We were in the majority during President Trump’s first impeachment, in 2020. We fulfilled our constitutional duty and held a full trial on the floor. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Senate Democrats are trying to destroy yet another precedent and further politicize the impeachment process. They want to avoid an uncomfortable election-year discussion about President Biden’s biggest failure: the U.S. southern border invasion. Democrats will shatter another norm and set a dangerous precedent that they’re going to regret."