Senate dismisses impeachment case against Mayorkas
By Anthony Zurcher
The US Senate has voted to kill impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Majorkas, sparing him a trial in the chamber.
It was the first time in almost 150 years, and only the second time in US history, the Senate had considered the impeachment of a cabinet secretary.
If two-thirds of the chamber had approved, Mr Mayorkas would have been removed from office.
He was accused of refusing to enforce immigration law.
Mr Mayorkas was also charged by the US House of Representatives with breaching “the public trust” by making false statements during congressional testimony.
In near-party line votes on Wednesday, senators dismissed the two articles of impeachment filed by the House two months ago.
The Department of Homeland Security welcomed the result.
The agency’s statement said the vote to dismiss “proves definitively that there was no evidence or Constitutional grounds to justify impeachment”.
