(RepublicanNews.org) – House Republicans have failed in their efforts to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for willfully and systematically refusing to comply with the federal immigration laws on the books and then lying to Congress that the border was “secure.”
The resolution failed to pass 216-214. Four GOP members went against the grain and joined all 212 Democratic representatives to vote against the 214 remaining Republicans, opposing the resolution to affirm two articles of impeachment submitted last year in November. Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana missed the vote due to ongoing blood cancer treatment.
If the resolution passed, it would’ve made Mayorkas the second Cabinet official in American history to be impeached. The first was in 1876, leading to the resignation of Secretary of War William Belknap.
Three Republican representatives were already opposed to the impeachment and previously sided with the Democrats: Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Tom McClintock of California, and Ken Buck of Colorado. With the surprise appearance of Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas, the pro-Mayorkas side established a tie of 215-215, which would not have passed the resolution.
As the clock ran down, Republicans scrambled to convince Gallagher to switch his vote. Drama ensued in the House chamber until Republican House Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore intervened to put a stop to it by switching his vote from supporting to opposing the resolution. The Democrats cheered after Moore’s decision, although Moore also offered a motion to the majority to reconsider the resolution, which was postponed until a future date.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he doesn’t believe the US has ever had a Cabinet secretary who “so blatantly, openly, willfully and without remorse” did the opposite of what was required by federal law. He added that while it’s “an extreme measure” to impeach someone, “extreme times” call for such measures.
The news came just after the Senate’s heavily debated “Border Bill” was declared by the House to be “dead on arrival.”
Copyright 2024, RepublicanNews.org
