Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has been a hawk on the border in the Senate, but the decision about what to do with impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas could serve as a test on the matter.
Democrats in the Senate are floating the idea of tabling the articles levied against Mayorkas by the GOP-led House of Representatives, but it would require all 51 senators who caucus with Democrats, including Sinema, to vote in the affirmative. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), another centrist in the caucus, has openly expressed his opposition to the impeachment trial.
When asked about the talk of tabling the articles quickly, she deferred to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and said she had to read the articles before making a decision to dismiss them quickly.
“I have to read them first,” Sinema told NBC News on Monday.
The articles were narrowly passed by the House earlier this month and have yet to be delivered to the Senate as both chambers work to avoid a government shutdown. When the handover will occur is unknown, but it looks to be delayed by at least a week.
Sinema was one of the lead negotiators for the Senate border deal, which collapsed earlier this month shortly after it was unveiled, and has been critical of how border security has been handled during her time in Congress.
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During a hearing with Mayorkas last year, Sinema called for “meaningful, lasting change” and bashed the system of immigration and border enforcement as “not working.”
A vote against quickly tabling the impeachment articles would not necessarily be in favor of convicting Mayorkas, but it would allow a full trial to occur in the Senate on the articles brought by the House.