The GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted, on the evening of Tuesday, February 13, to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of Homeland Security for the Biden Administration. The successful vote to impeach came in the wake of a recent failed vote in which three Republicans sided with the Democrats and torpedoed the impeachment effort.
Fortunately, however, the ability to revive the impeachment effort was preserved by Rep. Blake Moore of Utah, the chair of the GOP conference. He flipped his vote from “yes” to “no” at the last moment in a procedural maneuver on behalf of the GOP, as it gives the conference opportunity to bring the legislation back to the floor at a later date.
In any case, with the ability to bring the issue back up once they got their act together, the House revived the issue on Tuesday and brought the impeachment vote again. This time it was successful and 214 Republicans voted yes and there were 213 votes against the impeachment.
The vote was a historic one in that the last Cabinet Secretary to be impeached was William Belknap, Secretary of War to President Ulysses S. Grant. Belknap was impeached by the House in 1876, despite resigning before the vote.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, commenting on the matter in a statement posted to X, said, “For nearly a year, the House Homeland Security Committee has taken a careful and methodical approach to this investigation and the results are clear: from his first day in office, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history.”
Continuing, he went on to add, “He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office. Alejandro Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so.”
Then, explaining how he thinks the House handled the situation in the appropriate manner, writing, “Next to a declaration of war, impeachment is arguably the most serious authority given to the House and we have treated this matter accordingly. Since this secretary refuses to do the job that the Senate confirmed him to do, the House must act.”
Watch the impeachment here:
The Biden White House, in a statement on the matter, said, “History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, a Cuban immigrant who came to the United States with his family as political refugees, has spent more than two decades serving America with integrity in a decorated career in law enforcement and public service. From his time in the Justice Department as a U.S. Attorney to his service as Deputy Secretary and now Secretary of Homeland Security, he has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great.”
It added, “This impeachment already failed once on a bipartisan vote. Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security. Sadly, the same Republicans pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting bipartisan plans Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard on to strengthen border security at this very moment — reversing from years of their own demands to pass stronger border bills. Giving up on real solutions right when they are needed most in order to play politics is not what the American people expect from their leaders. Congress needs to act to give me, Secretary Mayorkas, and my administration the tools and resources needed to address the situation at the border. The House also needs to pass the Senate’s national security supplemental right away. We will continue pursuing real solutions to the challenges Americans face, and House Republicans have to decide whether to join us to solve the problem or keep playing politics with the border.”
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