Republicans advance Mayorkas impeachment as Democrats decry process as a sham
Republicans voted early Wednesday to advance an impeachment case against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the full chamber, moving one step closer to impeaching the first Cabinet member in almost 150 years.
In an 18-15 vote along party lines following a marathon meeting, members of the House Homeland Security Committee advanced two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and breach of the public trust.
Democrats repeatedly asserted during the hearing that Republicans have no constitutional basis to impeach Mayorkas, and they noted that GOP lawmakers have struggled in two recent hearings to detail clear evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Republican leaders are aiming to bring the issue to the House floor next week. Even if the full House impeaches Mayorkas, he is unlikely to be convicted in a trial in the Democraticled Senate.
Democrats criticized the impeachment proceedings as politically motivated, pointing out that GOP lawmakers were trying to oust Mayorkas for supposedly neglecting to secure the southern border, while at the same time opposing a bipartisan package that is under negotiation in the Senate and would seek to improve border security.
Several hours into the hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, suggested that Democrats’ remarks would have little impact on the ultimate outcome.
“One of the most difficult things about Congress is it’s filled with nothing but lawyers, and they’ll talk all day about this, that or the other, which is … frustrating to many Americans,” Gonzales said.
“This is what’s going to happen. The House of Representatives is going to impeach Secretary MayHouse orkas, and there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop it. That’s going to happen.”
Mayorkas did not appear at the hearing but vigorously defended his record in a six-page letter Tuesday morning to Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., detailing his lengthy career in public service and disputed the GOP’s accusations that he has avoided their oversight requests.
“We have provided Congress and your Committee hours of testimony, thousands of documents, hundreds of briefings, and much more information that demonstrates quite clearly how we are enforcing the law,” Mayorkas wrote.
His responsiveness to the House’s oversight requests would not waver, however “baseless” the proceedings, he added.
“I assure you that your false accusations do not rattle me and do not divert me from the law enforcement and broader public service to which I remain devoted,” Mayorkas wrote.