GOP senators convince Speaker Johnson to delay Mayorkas impeachment article delivery

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Republican senators were able to convince House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to delay the delivery of two impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, citing concerns that Senate Democrats will look to quickly dismiss them once a trial begins in the upper chamber.

"To ensure the Senate has adequate time to perform its constitutional duty, the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week. There is no reason whatsoever for the Senate to abdicate its responsibility to hold an impeachment trial," a spokesperson for Johnson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

At least 10 Republican senators said they were actively pressuring the speaker to delay delivering the articles in order to prevent Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus from tabling the trial ahead of the weekend and sending senators home shortly after, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital.

Schumer told senators in a dear colleague letter last week that proceedings would begin Thursday per procedure once the articles are delivered on Wednesday as expected. Johnson had indicated the delivery date in a letter previously sent to Schumer.

The GOP senators discussed their attempts to persuade Johnson during a lunch held at the National Republican Senatorial Committee's headquarters on Tuesday, the source said. Two of the senators actively working to convince the speaker to hold off on delivery are Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., their offices confirmed.

The benefit of a delay for the Republicans, according to the source, is allowing the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas more time for debate without the pressure of the approaching weekend.

"We have a chance to talk about the issue," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., explained the delay's effect.

"Thursday afternoon senators rush to the airport and fly to get out of here. Schumer wants it on a Thursday afternoon because he wants no coverage," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, added at a Tuesday GOP press conference on the status of the impeachment trial.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., the lead impeachment manager, emerged from Johnson’s office moments after the announcement and told reporters, "We were ready to go tomorrow."

Green said he had not heard from Senate Republicans regarding the delay, but that he would support House GOP leaders’ decision.

He would not say if he spoke with Johnson before the delay was made public, telling Fox News Digital, "We had a phone conversation, the contents of which will remain between the speaker and I."

Another impeachment manager, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital he was not surprised by the news because he had been in contact with some of the Senate Republicans pushing for the delay. He said, "I had been talking with some of my Republican friends in the Senate. And so I was not really surprised."

At the Tuesday lunch, GOP senators also discussed their hope to turn up the pressure on their Democratic colleagues, the source added, with numerous senators offering their approval of a plan to halt all legislative business if Democrats tabled the Mayorkas trial. This would include Republicans refusing to provide a quorum or vote, among other measures.

HOUSE TO CLEAR MAJOR ROADBLOCK ON DATA PRIVACY AMID SHOWDOWN OVER FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE POWERS

GOP senators have reiterated that tabling the trial would be "historic" as such an event hadn't occurred without the impeached official having left office first.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SHUT DOWN SENATE CAFETERIA, AROUND 50 ARRESTED

"This is our job," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., stressed during the press conference Tuesday.

Several Senate Republicans slammed Schumer over their expectation that he would look to quickly off ramp the trial. However, Schumer has not suggested what Democrats will do.

Democratic senators have previously indicated to Fox News Digital that they believe their caucus will seek such a strategic procedural maneuver.

"They are nuking a provision of the Constitution," Lee said during a Republican press conference on Tuesday.

The Utah Republican additionally told reporters, "I’m grateful to Speaker Johnson for his bold willingness to delay this."

"He does not want Senate Democrats, especially those on the ballot in November, to vote guilty or not guilty," Cruz said.

Schumer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Republicans take to floor to slam Dems for expected dismissal of Mayorkas trial

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Several Senate Republicans took to the chamber floor on Monday night to call for an immediate and open trial into the impeachment articles passed against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

"Make no mistake about it: a vote to block the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas is a vote to keep our borders open," Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said in floor remarks. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., John Kennedy, R-La., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Mike Braun, R-Ind., also made speeches on the expected Democratic motion to table the impeachment trial.

Marshall and Scott are members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The vote to "block" mentioned by Marshall is in reference to the expectation that Senate Democrats will look to use a procedural maneuver to quickly dismiss the trial after being sworn in as jurors on Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not made any indication that this will be done, but several Republicans and Democrats in the chamber have said they expect such an exercise to be used to end the trial.

BIDEN'S NEW STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT FACES BIPARTISAN SKEPTICISM IN CONGRESS

"Legally speaking [Mayorkas] has undermined the laws of the United States," alleged Schmitt, justifying the necessity of a full trial.

In his own remarks, Scott said, "I do not understand why my Democratic colleagues don't care."

PENCE WORRIES TIKTOK BILL COULD GET LOST IN 'FOG OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS,’ URGES SENATE VOTE

Kennedy pointed out that the House spent months developing the articles that were passed against Mayorkas and "They just want to ignore the House's evidence, summarily sweep it under the rug and move on."

Marshall emphasized the historical nature of such a move, if Democrats choose to employ it. "In our nation's history, the Senate has never tabled an impeachment trial," Marshall said.

GOP SENATOR HIGHLIGHTS SECURITY THREAT IN BORDER PATROL'S WEAKENED DRUG USE STANDARDS

In a dear colleague letter to senators last week, Schumer acknowledged that House impeachment managers are expected to deliver two articles of impeachment for Mayorkas to the leader. He advised senators that attendance is "essential" during the week, as each of them will be sworn in as jurors on Thursday, with Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., presiding.

The White House counsel sent a memo out on Monday, highlighting comments made by Republican senators about the Mayorkas impeachment effort prior to its passage in the House. Several of the Republican examples pointed to by the White House have since changed their position, voicing support for a trial.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Mayorkas’s impeachment trial

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

We’ve seen impeachment trials a lot on Capitol Hill in recent years. The Senate conducted two impeachment trials of former President Trump in early 2020 and early 2021.

But no living American has ever witnessed the impeachment trial which is about to begin in the United States Senate.

Blink and you might miss it.

The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February. The House accuses Mayorkas of not following the law when it comes to securing the border and lying to Congress. Mayorkas became only the second cabinet secretary ever impeached. The first was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hasn’t tipped his hand yet on how he’ll handle the articles, but Schumer is expected to move to dismiss or table the articles. The Senate must vote to do that. If all 51 senators who caucus with the Democrats vote to punt, they can extinguish the trial quickly.

ABBOTT SENDS BIDEN MESSAGE AS TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD REINFORCES BORDER RAZOR FENCING

But don’t expect Republicans to go quietly.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says the Senate is obligated to conduct a full trial of Mayorkas and render judgment. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and other Republicans may try to elongate the trial. They argue that senators have a constitutional obligation to listen to arguments for and against impeachment. So expect them to make points of order – possibly forcing the Senate to vote – to consider the articles. However, Senate Democrats can euthanize each of those points of order – if they stick together and table each of the GOP motions.

Still, the trial might not last long. But here’s the minimum which must unfold on the Senate floor over the coming days.

Expect the following:

The House voted to impeach Mayorkas by a solitary vote in February. The House failed in its first effort to impeach after Rep. Al Green, D-Tex., materialized unexpectedly (directly from the hospital) and foiled the GOP’s plans. After a second vote to impeach, the House then appointed 11 impeachment "managers." They serve as de facto "prosecutors," presenting the House’s case to the Senate. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., serves as the lead impeachment manager. All 100 senators will sit as "jurors" when the trial begins. Mayorkas does not appear at the trial nor is he required to attend.

On Wednesday, House Sergeant at Arms Bill McFarland and Acting Clerk of the House Kevin McCumber will escort the managers and the articles of impeachment themselves from the House, across the Capitol Rotunda, to the Senate wing of the Capitol. That’s where the Senate will "receive" the articles of impeachment. Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson will greet the House entourage in the Senate wing of the Capitol and escort everyone to the Senate chamber.

All 100 senators will await the coterie from the House. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate – the most senior member of the majority party. She will preside over the impeachment trial – not Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. The Chief Justice typically only presides over impeachment trials involving the President or Vice President. Roberts was in charge for former President Trump’s first trial in 2020. But then-Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., presided over the second impeachment trial in 2021. Leahy was the Senate’s President Pro Tempore back then.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE'S RED LINE ON SPEAKER JOHNSON

The impeachment articles are then read to the Senate.

It’s possible Lee and company could try to offer their motions then. But Murray could rule him out of order. The Senate hasn’t even sworn-in senators yet to adjudicate the trial. Moreover, the Senate could find itself either in legislative session (working on a bill) or executive session (working on a nomination) when the Senate stops its action to receive the articles. Therefore, motions by senators pertaining to the trial aren’t applicable at that moment.

Under Senate impeachment rules, things really get started the next day at 1 pm ET. That’s when the Senate swears in the senators. Gibson will announce that everyone should remain quiet "on pain of imprisonment." At that point, we are technically "in trial." Thus, motions are in order. In the past, the Senate could consider a resolution to establish parameters for how to handle the trial. Schumer could possibly move immediately to dismiss or table the articles. Or Lee and company could make their motions as well.

But here’s the problem for Republicans:

Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader. As Majority Leader, Schumer is recognized first by Murray, the presiding officer. Schumer could potentially short-circuit anything Republicans want to do by jumping ahead and making a motion to table or dismiss. The Senate would then vote on whether to halt proceedings right there. Republicans may never get a shot.

It is important to note that senators don’t "debate" during an impeachment trial. However, they could agree to debate in closed session – not out in the open.

I WANT MY MTV (MOTION TO VACATE): SPEAKER JOHNSON FACES POTENTIAL THREAT WHEN CONGRESS RETURNS

However, a vote to dismiss the articles – or on anything Republicans cook up – carries political consequences for Democrats facing competitive re-election bids this fall. Think Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jon Tester, D-Mont., Bob Casey, D-Mich., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. Republicans will likely weaponize any roll call vote Democrats to truncate the impeachment trial. Republicans will try to portray these vulnerable Democrats as not taking the border or the charges leveled at Mayorkas seriously.

In short, the trial is likely to be short. Not the impeachment trials of former President Trump. The Senate spread out the first one over a period of 19 days. The second one consumed five days.

In fact, the model for a quick dismissal is an impeachment you probably haven’t heard of: Former federal judge Samuel Kent in 2009.

The House impeached Kent in June 2009. But Kent stepped down before the Senate trial began. The House then adopted a resolution to halt its "prosecution" of Kent. The Senate then voted to dispense with the articles before conducting a trial.

So Kent’s circumstances are not exactly what will go down with Mayorkas. But Kent’s scenario of a quick dismissal is closer to what could unfold in the next few days compared to the more robust trials of former President Trump.

Top Democrat in tight Senate race backs citizenship, voting rights for millions of illegal immigrants

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The Democrat frontrunner in what could be one of the most unexpectedly tight Senate races this year recently declared his support for granting citizenship and voting rights to the millions of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S.

Speaking at a candidate forum in Bladensburg, Maryland , earlier this month, Rep. David Trone, who represents the state's 6th Congressional District, argued illegal immigrants should have the same rights under the Constitution as U.S. citizens.

"We need to welcome all 12 million folks here now that are DACA, TPS, and undocumented – make them citizens, and move forward. They have all the rights everybody here should have also," Trone said, referencing Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA), also known as "Dreamers," who were brought to the U.S. as children by illegal immigrant parents, as well as migrants granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS UNLEASH MASSIVE INVESTMENT FOR BATTLEGROUND STATE'S ‘LARGEST EVER’ VOTE-BY-MAIL PROGRAM

Just days after the forum, Trone voted against the bipartisan Laken Riley Act, a bill named after a nursing student who was tragically murdered on the campus of the University of Georgia while jogging. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged in the murder, was arrested in New York prior to the murder but was not detained by ICE. He was also cited in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting in October 2023.

The bill would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses and mandate that those who commit such crimes are detained until they are removed from the U.S., so they cannot break the same law or commit further crimes.

Additionally, the bill would ensure that states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law. It passed the House in a 251-170 vote, and the Senate is currently considering its version of the legislation.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN REVEALS ‘AGGRESSIVE’ SWING STATE STRATEGY, ADMITS BEATING TRUMP WILL ‘TAKE RELENTLESS EFFORT’

Last month, Trone signed a letter urging impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to close illegal immigrant detention centers just one day after a toddler was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant right outside his district, the Daily Caller reported.

"Our immigration system is broken. Unfortunately, positive legislative reforms in immigration are unlikely this congress due to extreme MAGA Republican opposition. Until that changes, we must do our best to operate within the current system to ensure that we are treating immigrants with dignity and utilizing our limited resources wisely. You have testified regarding your concern about ‘the overuse of detention… where alternatives to detention would suffice.’ We share that concern," Trone wrote in the letter.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trone's campaign for comment.

TEXAS DEMOCRAT COLIN ALLRED FACES 6-FIGURE AD CAMPAIGN FOR CALLING BORDER WALL ‘RACIST’

Trone faces a crowded Democrat primary field, where he holds a massive fundraising and polling advantage. His closest challenger is Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

He will likely face Maryland's former Republican governor, Larry Hogan, in the general election. Few polls have been conducted on the race so far, but those that have been completed suggest a neck-and-neck race between the two.

Elections analysts rate the race as "likely" Democrat, but Hogan's name recognition and high approval rating at the conclusion of his second term last year could further pose a challenge to Democrats' hopes of maintaining control of the Senate.

Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

How the most powerful nation lost control of its borders: former ICE director

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The U.S. is in the grip of an ongoing crisis at the southern border, now into its third year. While there have been a number of surges in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border in recent history, none have been so large or so sustained.

Republicans say the crisis has been a direct consequence of the policies of the Biden administration. But Democrats and the administration say the U.S. has a broken system in need of reform and funding that Congress has so far failed to address.

The surge escalated in 2021, when, after months of increasing numbers in 2020 from the lows seen during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, encounters skyrocketed from 78,000 in January 2021 to 213,000 by July, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

Encounters remained high through 2022, reaching a high of 241,000 that May. Encounters in fiscal year 2022 hit 2.3 million, a new record. That was broken the next year with 2.4 million.

BIDEN, DURING VISIT TO OVERWHELMED BORDER, URGES REPUBLICANS TO BACK SENATE BILL

More recently, the monthly record for encounters was shattered in December, when there were over 300,000 encounters for the first time, according to CBP. Meanwhile, the immigration court backlog has exploded to more than 3 million cases, while seizures of fentanyl at the southern border have also broken records.

The Biden administration has said the spike coincides with a hemisphere-wide migration surge sparked by insecurity, poverty and other root causes.

"It is because the world is living through one of the greatest levels of human displacement that it ever has, and certainly since World War II. And the challenge that we are experiencing at our border, which is a very serious and consequential challenge, is one that the entire hemisphere is experiencing," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told The New York Times in February.

President Biden and former President Trump have both visited the southern border in 2024, making their respective cases to the voters.

Biden said he needs Congress to "put politics aside" and pass additional spending and reforms found in a bipartisan Senate bill. The legislation includes additional staffing at the border and in asylum offices, an increased $1.4 billion in funding to cities and organizations receiving migrants, aims to tackle fentanyl smuggling and would limit asylum claims. It would also increase detention beds to 50,000 and provide additional immigration judges.

However, the bill failed to gain enough support in the Senate after conservative lawmakers warned that a limiting mechanism that only comes into place after an average of 5,000 encounters a day would normalize the already high levels of illegal immigration.

"It's real simple, it's time to act, it is long past time to act," Biden said. "It's time for us to move on this, we can't wait any longer."

Meanwhile, the administration has been pursuing a strategy of expanding lawful migration pathways while increasing what it says are consequences for illegal entry, including an asylum ban and increased use of expedited removal. But it has stressed it needs more funding to do so.

The administration rejects claims it has opened the border, pointing to more than half a million removals or returns between May 2023 and January 2024. It also expanded the CBP One app to allow more migrants to be processed in ports of entry, launched funding drives to tackle root causes in Central American countries and set up processing centers in the region.

Republicans and former Trump officials blame the Biden administration, accusing it of rolling back successful Trump-era policies like the Remain in Mexico program, which kept migrants in Mexico for their asylum hearings, along with border wall construction and other measures to stop catch-and-release.

Tom Homan, who served as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director under Trump, told Fox News Digital he believes those Trump policies secured the border.

"We handed the Biden administration the most secure border in my lifetime. That's just based on fact. That's based on data. Anybody can look at the data. Then President Biden came in," he said.

Homan and other critics also cited a 100-day ICE deportation moratorium as evidence the administration is pursuing an open border policy.

"President Biden ran on open borders, and you gotta give him credit. Once he became president, he kept his promise and opened the border," Homan said.

7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES

The crisis has had deep political impacts. Not only has it become a top 2024 issue, with polls showing a majority of voters seeing large amounts of illegal immigration as a "critical" threat, but the immediate impact has also spread beyond the border.

As more and more migrants have moved into the interior, including through a busing program from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, cities like New York City, Chicago and Denver have been overwhelmed by the numbers and the strain put on their services. Mayors have appealed for support, last year asking for more than $5 billion in aid, among other measures.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the House impeached Mayorkas for his handling of the crisis, sending articles of impeachment to the Senate.

If elected, Trump has promised to return to many of his past policies and has pledged to ramp up deportations.

"The fix is simple. Dust off the Trump plan and reinstitute the Remain in Mexico program, reinstitute the safe third country agreements, continue building the wall and end catch and release," Homan said. "Those things right now would solve 90% of the problem on the border."

Johnson’s State of the Union guests include mother of woman allegedly killed by MS-13 gang member

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson’s guests at the State of the Union on Thursday will include a mother who lost her son to a pill laced with fentanyl and the mother of a Maryland woman who was raped and murdered in 2022, allegedly by an MS-13 gang member.

Johnson, R-La., has invited Tammy Nobles, whose 20-year-old daughter Kayla Hamilton was killed in her mobile home in 2022, to the Thursday address by President Biden. He has also invited Stefanie Turner, who formed Texas Against Fentanyl after her son Tucker was killed by an illicit Percocet pill.

"President Biden’s open-border catastrophe is undermining the safety of our communities and ripping families apart," Johnson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Tammy Nobles and Stefanie Turner are two of the many parents who’ve experienced the devastating effects of the catastrophe at our border, having tragically lost their children to criminal aliens and fentanyl, which is pouring through our borders."

HOUSE JUDICIARY REPORT FAULTS BIDEN ADMIN FOR RELEASE OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER NOW CHARGED WITH MURDER

The ongoing border crisis has become a top political issue in the days leading up to the address, with Biden expected to renew his calls for the Senate to pass a border agreement unveiled earlier this year. Republicans have blamed the crisis on the policies of the administration.

"I’m honored to be hosting Tammy and Stefanie at the State of the Union, as we fight for a secure border and to hold President Biden accountable for his failure to protect this country and the American people," Johnson said.

Nobles testified in the impeachment hearings of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, citing her daughter’s murder as a consequence of the crisis at the border. In 2023, police arrested an El Salvadoran 17-year-old who authorities said is linked to the MS-13 street gang and who was released into the U.S. in 2022 into the custody of his aunt after being encountered at the border.

"I’m honored to be a guest of Speaker Mike Johnson at the State of the Union. I am so glad that my efforts to share Kayla's story and bring awareness to what is happening at the border are being recognized," Nobles said in a statement. "I will continue fighting and demanding accountability for what is happening at the border. I hope positive changes will occur in the future to save many lives. Something must change."

BIDEN, DURING VISIT TO OVERWHELMED BORDER, URGES REPUBLICANS TO BACK SENATE BILL: ‘TIME TO ACT’

Turner described fentanyl, which can be fatal in tiny doses and is primarily made in Mexico and smuggled across the U.S. border, as a "clandestine killer."

"While I carry the pain of losing my only son, Tucker, I also represent all the families who have to learn to live life again after the death of their loved one. It is absolutely heartbreaking. We are so disgusted that more is not being done to stop this war on the American people. We have had enough," she said in a statement. "We must do more to educate our youth and communities!"

Republicans have tied the three-year crisis to the policies of the administration, including narrowed interior enforcement, catch-and-release and a reversal of Trump-era policies.

Biden, who last week visited the border in Brownsville, Texas, has said Congress needs to pass reforms and provide more funding. He has backed a bipartisan Senate bill, which has failed to drum up enough support to pass.

DUELING BIDEN, TRUMP VISITS TO BESIEGED BORDER COME AMID FRESH SLEW OF VIOLENT CRIMES BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The deal includes $1.4 billion in funding to cities and NGOs receiving migrants, action to tackle fentanyl smuggling and a limit on asylum claims. It would also increase detention beds to 50,000 and provide additional immigration judges. However, conservatives have opposed it, saying it is insufficient and that it would normalize high levels of illegal immigration. House Republicans have called for the passage of the GOP border legislation passed in the House last year, instead.

But Biden said it was "time to act."

"Folks, the bipartisan border security bill is a win for the American people and a win for the people of Texas, and it's fair for those who legitimately have a right to come here," Biden said.

"The U.S. Senate needs to reconsider this bill and those senators who oppose it need to set politics aside and pass it on the merits, not on whether it's going to benefit one party or another party," he said, also calling for Johnson to put it on the floor in the House.

The White House told Fox News Digital when reached for comment Tuesday, "Speaker Johnson is making the case for the toughest bipartisan border security deal in modern history, which [the] President worked with Republicans and Democrats to deliver, but the Speaker is obstructing. Instead of choosing fentanyl traffickers, human smugglers, and Donald Trump over the Border Patrol and America’s national security, Speaker Johnson should join President Biden in supporting the safety of our communities."

Mayorkas responds to ‘SNL’ sketch that mocked WH defense of Biden’s age by continuing running trend

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas responded to a "Saturday Night Live" sketch that used him to poke fun at President Biden's age on Sunday.

"SNL" depicted Mayorkas interviewing with CNN's Dana Bash, an interview that ended up taking place in reality on Sunday morning on CNN's "State of the Union."

On the show, the actor depicting Mayorkas rejected claims that Biden was moving slowly at the border during his visit last week, saying he saw the president carry out superhuman feats of agility and strength.

"Behind closed doors, he's a dynamo," the faux-Mayorkas said. "He went into beast mode. He said, ‘We gotta tighten this border. Look how easy I can cross it.' Then he parkoured up to the top of the border wall. He front-flipped into the Rio Grande and came back up with a fish in his mouth."

WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES TO COOPERATE WITH ICE AMID FUROR OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMES

Bash asked Mayorkas about the sketch Sunday morning, asking, "Does that happen every day?"

SALVADORAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO MARYLAND MURDER OF 2-YEAR-OLD BOY

"We all need a little comic relief now and then. I thought George Clooney did a terrific job," Mayorkas said, cracking a joke of his own. In reality, Marcello Hernández played Mayorkas.

Bash noted that the joke has a kernel of truth, in that a number of Americans are concerned about Biden's age, while administration officials tend to point to supposed examples of the president's vitality not seen by the public. Mayorkas continued this trend in response to Bash.

"They should spend a bit of time with Joe Biden like I have done," he responded before offering an anecdote. "I prepare a lot for meetings with him and engagements with him because he's remarkably detail-oriented, probing and operationally focused."

"But no fishing in the Rio Grande?" Bash asked.

"Not for me," Mayorkas said.

Biden visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, last week, holding a competing event with former President Trump, who visited the much more heavily trafficked Eagle Pass, Texas.

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that Brownsville has seen just 46 migrant encounters over the past five days, compared to 2,106 in Eagle Pass. The former averaged 17 migrant encounters per day in February, while the latter averaged 462.

Senate Republicans warm up to Mayorkas impeachment trial over border concerns

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Senate Republicans are coming out in favor of holding a trial for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by the House over his actions and guidance regarding the southern border and illegal immigration more than two weeks ago.

A growing list of Republican senators — not confined to hard-line conservatives — have voiced their support for a full impeachment trial for Mayorkas after the Republican-controlled House approved articles this month.

Initially, several Republican senators predicted doom for the House's impeachment effort in the Senate.

Though Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he believes Mayorkas to be responsible for enforcing President Biden's "disastrous immigration policies," he isn't in favor of a trial in the upper chamber. "An impeachment trial might be great politics, but it’s not the remedy for bad policy and would set a terrible constitutional precedent," he wrote recently on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

REPUBLICANS SOUND ALARM ON MIGRANT SURGE’S THREAT TO HOSPITALS IN 'SANCTUARY' CITIES

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., recently told reporters that "It'll fail in the Senate."

"If I could use the House term: It'll be dead on arrival when it comes over," he said.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., didn't hold back from criticizing his House counterparts over the effort. He told Axios the impeachment was "the worst, dumbest exercise and use of time."

However, in the weeks following the House's vote, more Republican senators have emerged in favor of a trial into Mayorkas' impeachment. Those in support of a trial are not solely members of the more hard-line faction of the Senate GOP, demonstrating a somewhat unified Republican stance.

Last week, a group of Republican senators led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called on Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to "demand" a Senate trial. It was conveyed in a letter signed by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., JD Vance, R-Ohio, Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

BIDEN, TRUMP TO MAKE US-MEXICO BORDER STOPS THURSDAY AS MIGRANT CRISIS ROILS ELECTION

To the surprise of some, both McConnell and Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., each professed their support for a trial Tuesday. Citing the House's move to impeach Mayorkas, Thune said during a press conference, "That issue will come before the United States Senate. I believe the Senate needs to hold a trial."

McConnell later told reporters a trial is "the best way forward."

Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., John Kennedy, R-La., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., have also since told Fox News Digital they support an impeachment trial.

"The Senate should fulfill its constitutional charge and hold a proper trial in full view of the public," said Britt.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, reiterated his belief that his House colleagues were right to impeach Mayorkas, and he went as far as saying Mayorkas "should be impeached because he lied under oath by saying the border is secure."

TRUMP BLAMES 'BIDEN'S BORDER INVASION' FOR LAKEN RILEY MURDER, VOWS 'LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION' IF ELECTED

As for Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, his office did not clarify his support for a trial but said he plans to serve as a juror and withhold his judgment until its completion.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on these developments, referring Fox News Digital to its earlier statement regarding the House's impeachment vote.

"House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border," wrote Mia Ehrenberg, DHS spokesperson.

"While Secretary Mayorkas was helping a group of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan solutions to strengthen border security and get needed resources for enforcement, House Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment," she continued.

Despite the expanding GOP support for a trial, any such effort is expected to fail because it would require a two-thirds Senate majority to convict and remove Mayorkas from his post. Republicans are in the minority in the Senate and members of the conference have already joined Democrats in criticizing the House for the impeachment, making hopes for a conviction and removal dim.

After procedural requirements of the impeachment process take place, including delivery and reading of the articles to the Senate by selected House managers, the swearing in of senators as jurors and the issuing of a summons to Mayorkas, the Senate is expected to decide how to move forward. Only a simple majority is required to dismiss the trial, which could be sought by Democrats, who have an advantage over Republicans, 51-49, as the three independent senators each caucus with the Senate Democrats.

Schumer hasn't said whether he would be supportive of cutting a trial short with a motion to dismiss, and his office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital.

Growing frustration among Mayorkas impeachment managers about not starting a trial

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

There is growing frustration among the 11 House impeachment managers about when they will present their articles to the Senate in the case of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

House managers serve as "prosecutors" and argue the impeachment case before the Senate.

One impeachment manager told Fox they had been given "no clear guidance" about the roles they might play or when the House may even transmit the articles to the Senate.

Fox was told the earliest the Senate could begin a trial is Wednesday. However, the decision lies at the feet of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

RANCHER SOUNDS ALARM ON ‘ROUTE’ FOR TERROR AS MAYORKAS DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR MASS BORDER CROSSINGS

Some House Republicans – and some impeachment managers – are itching to get started, but that could backfire without preparation.

Fox was told two weeks ago that House impeachment managers believed they might meet late last week to prep and organize – even doing "mock trial" sessions. Democrats who were impeachment managers conducted such dry runs in late 2019 and early 2020 ahead of the first impeachment trial of former President Trump. However, such sessions never materialized, although there were conversations among chiefs of staff for the impeachment managers.

HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER BORDER CRISIS

"We hoped to get clarity on the next steps two weeks ago, if not the end of last week," said one frustrated manager.

There has been some chatter that the House might not even send over the impeachment articles until the issue of two looming government shutdowns subsides.

Managers expressed concern about how they should prepare or if the managers would be assigned "subject lanes" to argue before the Senate.

One manager feared that House leaders might want to send over the articles promptly, initiating a trial without any preparation. The manager worried how that would look if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) decides to give impeachment managers some latitude and present their arguments.

"We might fall on our face," said one manager.

Tim Scott rips ‘two-tiered standard’ between treatment of Trump, Biden on border executive action: video

Posted on February 24, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX — Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott slammed what he called a "two-tiered standard" concerning President Biden mulling executive action to handle the border crisis, and how former President Trump was treated during his presidency when he attempted to do the same thing.

"Well, there's no question that there's a two-tiered standard in our national media. The way they cover President Trump versus the way that they use kid gloves to cover Joe Biden. There's no question about that," Scott said during a Thursday interview with Fox News Digital when asked about reports that Biden is weighing executive action to crack down on asylum-seeking.

"More important, however, is that when we had President Trump in office, we actually had a basically sealed southern border. Crossings were around a thousand a day. Under President Biden in December, we had 10,000 crossings on average per day," he added. "That contrast should be what the media is covering."

TRUMP VP AUDITIONS: SCOTT RAMASWAMY HIT TRAIL IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON BEHALF OF FORMER PRESIDENT

An administration source told Fox earlier this week that Biden is considering executive action to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum amid historic numbers of border crossings facing the country, but that it’s one of "several" plans being looked at.

An administration official also stressed that there have been no final decisions on what actions, if any, could be taken and that exploring policy options does not mean they will come to pass.

One of the options reportedly on the table is use of 212(f) of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to restrict certain categories of foreigners who are deemed "detrimental to the interests of the United States." Trump attempted to use it but was blocked by a federal court, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court.

HISPANIC HOUSE DEMS ACCUSE BIDEN OF LEAVING THEM IN DARK ON POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE ACTION AT BORDER

The former president also faced sharp criticism from Democrats and members of the liberal media for attempting to use executive action on immigration, including being called "xenophobic" and "racist."

Biden has yet to face the same widespread level of criticism, although some of the more progressive Democrats have lashed out at the idea of Biden reverting to the previous administration's approach.

"Democrats CANNOT solve immigration problems by adopting Trump-like policies," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote in a post on X, while Rep. Jesús García, D-Ill., claimed, "President Biden would be making a grave mistake if he moves forward with this policy."

DEMOCRAT IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE UNDER FIRE FOR PAST AMNESTY, SANCTUARY CITY ‘SUPPORT’ AS BORDER CRISIS SPIRALS

The possible executive action by Biden comes just under two weeks after the House of Representatives narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis.

During a gaggle with reporters after casting his vote in the South Carolina primary earlier in the day, Scott told Fox that he "certainly" supported Mayorkas' impeachment, and he praised the House for having the "courage" to take such action. However, he admitted the task likely wouldn't go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

"The best way to eliminate Mayorkas being the secretary is to actually fire Joe Biden," he said. "If we really want to change the trajectory of the country as it relates to immigration — illegal immigration — we have to do so by having someone, a commander-in-chief, who respects our borders, who wants to close our borders."

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.