Opening Statement

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) began the proceedings by seeking unanimous consent on several procedural matters.

Chad Pergram @ChadPergram
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Senate makes offer for 7 points of order and 60 minutes debate time on 1st article of impeachment. Then 1 pt of order and 60 minutes of debste on then Senate vote to dismiss the charges and then to adjourn the court of impeachment
1:56 PM · Apr 17, 2024 //

Objection

Senator Eric Schmitt @SenEricSchmitt
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The American people deserve a full impeachment trial of Sec. Mayorkas.

I will not assist Senator Schumer in setting our Constitution ablaze and bulldozing 200 years of precedent.

2:35 PM · Apr 17, 2024 //

Procedural Wrangling

Cruz asked for a roll call vote on his motion. That vote failed 51-49 (along party lines).

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) then made a motion to adjourn immediately until noon on Tuesday, April 30. That also resulted in a roll call vote, which, again, failed 51-49 along party lines.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) then rose to reiterate the purpose of an impeachment trial and moved to table Schumer's point of order. Resulting in a third roll call vote with the same vote breakdown. //

The roll call vote on Lee's motion also went down 51-49. //

Scott's motion was defeated in a 51-49 roll call vote. //

Kennedy's second motion was shot down 51-49. //

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) then moved to adjourn until November 6, 2024, to "allow the American people" to have a say in it. As one might expect, this motion, too, was defeated 51-49. //

Kennedy then moved to go into executive session before establishing a "breathtaking precedent." Again, the motion failed 51-49.

Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) then rose and moved to table Schumer's point of order (as to Article II). The motion went down 51-49. //

Murray confirmed that they would indeed establish impeachment precedent.

Finally, a vote was held on Schumer's second point of order (to dismiss Article II). That vote, like all the others, was a party-line split, with 51 Democrats voting in favor of it, 49 Republicans. The result? Article II of the impeachment was ruled unconstitutional and dismissed. Schumer then moved to adjourn, which, of course, passed...51-49.

And the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas went down without a trial. //

Closing Argument

... the Republicans always knew this would never go anywhere due to the Senate majority, but rather than give the Democrats a chance to look like they played fair and gave the Republicans some say in it, they're just blowing it up upfront, so that they can point out that the Democrats are shredding the Constitution, or, as Schmitt put it, "setting our Constitution ablaze and bulldozing 200 years of precedent."

Further, I suspect the points made by Wicker and Kennedy regarding lying to Congress (a felony) not constituting a high crime and misdemeanor under the precedent the Democrats have now set by dismissing Article II of the impeachment without holding a trial will come back to bite the Democrats ... //