3 weeks ago
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Senate Democrats plan to "dispose" of the House's impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as quickly as they can on Thursday, a member of Democratic leadership said in an interview.
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the No. 3 Democrat, deadpanned on Tuesday that the Senate majority is "going to treat it with the seriousness it deserves."
"It’s completely political. It’s not serious. We will do what we have to do and we'll work with Republicans to dispose of it, as quickly and appropriately as we can," Stabenow said. "We'll see how it goes. But we will do what is necessary and legal and appropriate. And dispose of it as soon as possible."
Democrats are planning for the full proceedings, including speeches and votes on procedural matters, to last a few hours on Thursday — depending on how many votes Republicans force, according to two people familiar with the issue. Party leaders would then move to end the trial, likely by a motion to table it.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still has not publicly commented on how he plans to short-circuit the trial, and Democrats have several procedural options, including tabling the trial or dismissing it.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans will "largely" be united on a vote on whether to advance the trial, which Democrats need just a simple majority to derail. But Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he will at some point "express" his position that the impeachment does not meet the bars for high crimes and misdemeanors.
"Ultimately that's where I think it ends up. I think it makes more sense to have some sort of summary conclusion," Romney said. "What Republicans are hoping to do, myself included, is underscore how bad the mess is at the border and point out the president's responsibility for that. I think Mayorkas is the wrong target."
