It is interesting which historical things networks choose to cover and which they do not. The New York City trial of former President Donald Trump, for example, draws top billing across the dial. A no-brainer, really. But for ABC World News Tonight, the also-historic impeachment and potential Senate trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is simply a bridge too far.
Perhaps ABBA and entering into the Library of Congress and the drafting of Caitlin Clark were more newsworthy items for ABC. The likelier story is that, once again and as in the case of the (related) border overrun at El Paso, ABC did not want to cover something that would cast the Biden administration in an unfavorable light. On immigration.
At least the other networks pretended to try to cover the story, packaged as tiny briefs within their Congressional roundups which today centered on a potential Motion to Vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson over his scheduling of votes on assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Of these, CBS’s tiny brief was the most comprehensive. Here it is, in its entirety as aired on CBS Evening News on Tuesday, April 16th, 2024:
SCOTT MacFARLANE: Meanwhile, Johnson's House Republicans are trying to remove a different official. Delivering impeachment articles to the Senate today against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
MARK GREEN: …is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.
MacFARLANE: Arguing he’s willfully and systematically refused to enforce immigration laws, an allegation Mayorkas denied again today.
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: I have abided by the law each and every step of the way.
MacFARLANE: Setting up a formal proceeding tomorrow in the U.S. Senate destined for a dead end.
What are the prospects there’s actually going to be an impeachment trial tomorrow?
THOM TILLIS: Um -- I’d say virtually none.
MacFARLANE: Democrats control the Senate and senators expect the debt matter will be quickly shut down without a trial.
PETER WELCH: It’s a bogus action by the House. That's the problem.
MacFARLANE: The impeachment proceedings are scheduled to begin here tomorrow afternoon, but the Biden administration says the entire endeavor is baseless and a waste of time.
MacFarlane’s idea of “balance” when covering the Senate trial of Mayorkas was to feature bipartisan pooh-poohing of the whole endeavor before running White House quotes dismissing the whole thing as a “waste of time”.
Over at NBC Nightly News, a tinier brief, but Congressional Correspondent Ryan Nobles found the time to squeeze in a pro-impeachment voice.
RYAN NOBLES: Tonight, a trial in the Senate set to begin with House Republicans formally sending over articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
TED CRUZ: The Senate has a clear obligation under the Constitution and 200 years of precedent. We need to hold a trial.
NOBLES: Republicans accusing him of willfully refusing to comply with immigration laws, with a record 9.3 million migrant border crossings since President Biden took office. Mayorkas and Democrats call the charges baseless. Senate Democrats poised to quickly dismiss them.
What about taxpayer-funded PBS, you might ask? Surely there was time within its hourlong PBS NewsHour for Mayorkas, right? Wrong. But they did find time for this:
GEOFF BENNETT: A Renaissance era landmark in Denmark's capital went up in flames today. The blaze broke out on the copper roof of Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange as it was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary. The spire of the structure, which is a twisted sphere of four dragon's tails, collapsed in the fire. And the city's mayor called the building an iconic piece of Danish heritage.
As you can see, the media were all over the place on Mayorkas- from barely covering, to covering but carrying Dem water to not covering at all. It’s no wonder we rightly and deservedly call them “regime media”.
