Mitt Romney Signals He Could Vote With Democrats to Dismiss Mayorkas Impeachment — On One Condition

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told Axios that he would be willing to dismiss articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as long as there was a debate.

In a Tuesday report by Stef W. Kight and Stephen Neukam, Romney indicated that he could vote with his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to put the kibosh on the historic impeachment by House Republicans. However, while he was skeptical about whether the allegations rose to a constitutional standard, Romney did insist that there should be a debate, even a brief one, to address the charges:

I don’t believe there’s a constitutional standard met. But at the same time, I think the Senate should give a chance for debate, even if it’s limited to two hours.

He added:

So if there’s a motion just to table without any discussion, that’s something I would oppose. If there’s a provision that allows debate, it’s something I’d be open to.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has publicly opposed the politically-motivated impeachment, but has not made clear what he plans to do. It takes a two-thirds majority to convict someone who has been impeached, and in the Democratic-led Senate, such a vote is highly unlikely. With the possibility of bipartisan opposition, it’s even less likely.

However, Axios notes that bipartisan opposition to the impeachment makes for “a clear indictment” of the years-long effort by House Republicans.