Austin News

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized Senate Democrats for their refusal to proceed with an impeachment trial for U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Sen. Cruz, speaking on the Senate floor, expressed his disapproval of skipping the required impeachment trial process.

During his speech, Sen. Cruz emphasized his concerns about Mayorkas's approach to his role, stating, “It’s not because he’s bad at his job, unfortunately Alejandro Mayorkas is very good at his job. However, he doesn’t view his job as securing the border [or] protecting our homeland security. Rather, he views his job as openly … violating and flouting federal law while aiding and abetting the criminal invasion of the United States.”

Furthermore, Sen. Cruz highlighted the importance of upholding democratic principles and adhering to constitutional procedures, saying, “Democrats love to pound their chest and say they’re ‘defending democracy,’ while they are engaging in a relentless assault on democracy. I have a resolution that would follow the precedent and simply appoint an impeachment committee to hear the trial.”

Despite Sen. Cruz's efforts to establish a committee for the impeachment trial through unanimous consent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) blocked the initiative, preventing the trial from moving forward in that manner.

Sen. Cruz's proposed approach aimed to ensure that the impeachment trial could proceed independently, without disrupting other Senate proceedings. He underscored the significance of following constitutional guidelines to preserve the integrity of the Senate's impeachment power.

The developments in the Senate regarding the impeachment trial for Secretary Mayorkas have sparked debate and raised questions about the handling of the situation within the legislative body.