Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) on Wednesday criticized the House impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as a partisan detour from Congress’s important work.
Asked about the merits of trying Mayorkas on impeachment charges in the Senate, Murkowski said lawmakers need to focus on funding the government instead.
“Oh my goodness. We’re busy, right? To have to take a detour from the important work that’s going on,” she said.
The Alaska senator, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, cited an upcoming meeting on legislation to fund the government through 2024 and the need to fund national security needs in a defense supplemental.
“I’ve got a four-corners meeting as an appropriator tomorrow; we’re trying to get the security supplemental advanced. If we have to deal with an impeachment proceeding that’s going to come across on a wholly partisan vote, there’s more important things,” she said.
Murkowski is one of several Republican senators questioning the wisdom of impeaching Mayorkas without clear evidence he broke the law or committed an impeachable offense.