For the first time in 148 years, a Cabinet member's impeachment trial was held in the Senate Wednesday. Senators were sworn in as jurors for what turned out to be a very short impeachment trial against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Both articles of impeachment were rejected in party-line votes on points of order raised by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said they were unconstitutional because they did not "allege conduct that rises to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor," NBC News reports. The AP reports that the first vote was 51-48, with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voting "present." The second vote was 51-49. Prior to the votes:
- House impeachment managers delivered the two articles of impeachment to the Senate on Tuesday—and Schumer promised to deal with the matter "as expeditiously as possible." He pressed for a quick dismissal of what he called "nakedly partisan" charges, CNN reports.
- The first article charged Mayorkas with "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law"; the second article accused Mayorkas of a breach of trust for saying that the border was secure.
- "We will be in our seats as jurors for the third time in four years," Schumer said. "But this time, senators will provide as jurors in the least legitimate, least substantive, and most politicized impeachment trial ever in the history of the United States." Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, president pro tempore of the Senate, presided over the trial, the AP reports.