Ted Cruz Is Immediately Shut Down When He Tries to Move to Debate Mayorkas Impeachment: ‘We Are Moving Forward’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) attempted to have a closed session debate regarding the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, but was swiftly shut down by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and then failed to get the majority vote he needed.

House Republicans sent two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate Tuesday, an effort that the Democrat-controlled Senate has vowed to not just reject, but end quickly. Schumer himself weighed in from the Senate floor Tuesday, arguing that “impeachment should never be used to settle a policy agreement,” because it “would set an awful precedent for Congress,” be “an abuse of the process,” and create “more chaos.”

“Nevertheless,” Schumer added, “when the House is ready to send us the articles, the Senate will act,” promising that it would do so “as expeditiously as possible.”

On Wednesday, Schumer made a motion to “table” the first impeachment article against Mayorkas, which would essentially kill it, saying “it does not allege conduct that rises to the level of a high crime or misdemeanor” as the U.S. Constitution requires for impeachment.

When Cruz had his chance to speak, he made a motion for a closed session to debate both articles.

“The Majority Leader’s position is asking members of this senate to vote on political expediency to avoid listening to arguments,” said Cruz, “The only rational way to resolve this question is to actually debate it, to consider the constitution and consider the law.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the Senate pro tempore, reminded Cruz that this was a “non-debatable position.”

“And my motion is to change that, so we can actually debate the law, if senators care what the constitution and law says,” replied Cruz before officially making a motion to move to closed session to debate.

Murray then recognized Schumer, who matter-of-factly stated that he had offered Republicans an agreement that would have allowed a period of public floor debate. As CNN summarized the issue:

Before Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set up a vote to kill the first impeachment article against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, he offered a time agreement to Republicans that would have allowed a certain amount of floor debate and votes on trial resolutions and points of order before an eventual vote to dismiss the case.

…Many Republicans wanted an agreement because it would have allowed them to make speeches on the floor about why they think a full trial should take place, among other points. Without it, they will not be allowed to speak on the floor — unless they get unanimous consent — except in the form of points of order that would be read allowed by the presiding officer.

“In our previous consent request, we gave your side a chance for debate in public,” said Schumer, emphasizing those last two words and looking over at Cruz as he said them, “where it should be, and your side objected. We are moving forward.”

Cruz then moved for a vote.

CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju explained to anchor Boris Sanchez that this sort of political maneuvering was expected, as Republicans try to “push ahead with this trial” and argue that this “should not be quickly dismissed the Senate Democrats are prepared to do.”

“The Democrats want nothing to do with this,” Raju said. “They think this is all political. They don’t believe that this rises to the level of impeachment. They believe this is simply a policy dispute over the border and Republicans are going after Mayorkas unfairly.”

Raju concluded that it was expected this vote would “come down mostly along party lines,” with Democratic control of the Senate meaning Cruz’s motion would fail and Republicans would have to move on to another tactic as Schumer continued to push it to a quick end.

CNN just reported that Cruz’s motion did in fact fail on a party-line vote, 49-51, as did a separate motion by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) to adjourn.

Watch the clip above via CNN.