Republicans may struggle to convict Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in his impeachment trial due to Speaker Mike Johnson’s mishandling of the evidence, a Capitol Hill source told the Caller Tuesday.
Impeachment managers tasked with prosecuting the case against Mayorkas expressed concerns about the “ill-prepared evidence” against the Secretary and laid the blame squarely on Speaker Johnson, the senate aide told the Daily Caller. (RELATED: JENNY BETH MARTIN: Senate Must Let House Make Its Case In Impeachment Trial Of Mayorkas.)
NEW— Mayorkas impeachment process in the Senate might be disrupted bc GOP leadership is now asking Speaker Johnson’s office to delay sending the Articles of Impeachment, originally scheduled for tomorrow.
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) April 9, 2024
“The ill-prepared evidence is just an indication that Johnson’s folks didn’t do a good job on putting this together, weren’t planning on fighting it, and were counting on Schumer to deep-six before they got a chance,” the source told the Daily Caller.
Now, there are rumblings the speaker may not deliver the articles of impeachment to the senate until next week, delaying the Mayorkas trial. The senate source confirmed a delay was likely to the Caller.
The senate aide highlighted the lack of “prosecutorial expertise” in Speaker Johnson’s case against Mayorkas and the need for more time for the prosecution to have their ducks in a row.
“Speaker Johnson’s office was responsible for organizing the evidence against Mayorkas that will be used in a Senate trial, but the evidence is in disarray and not organized with any prosecutorial expertise or strategy for conviction,” said the senate aide to the Caller. “It is clear that Speaker Johnson is depending on Schumer to table the articles and not even trying to win this battle.”
The staffer added, “Many Republican Senators and Representatives are privately angry that Speaker Johnson has planned the delivery of the articles for Wednesday evening, showing he doesn’t even care to message this fight to the American people or get much news coverage.”
The House of Representatives impeached Mayorkas in February. Last month, Speaker Johnson announced his decision to send the impeachment articles to the senate on April 10, although reports indicate that timeline is now in peril.
“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,” Speaker Johnson’s office told the Caller. “There is no reason whatsoever for the Senate to abdicate its responsibility to hold an impeachment trial.”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated with a statement from Speaker Johnson’s office.