(MAGANews.org) – After two hours of intense floor debate and despite winning a crucial procedural vote earlier in the day, House Republicans’ attempt to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for refusing to enforce various U.S. immigration laws was unsuccessful on Tuesday.
214 members voted in favor of the proposal to accept two articles of impeachment against Mr. Mayorkas, while 216 members opposed it. The motion was defeated.
Republican representatives Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California, Blake Moore of Utah, and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin were among those who voted against it.
TIME TO NAME AND SHAME!
The 3 RINOS who voted with Democrats against impeaching Mayorkas:
Rep. Tom McClintock – (202) 225-2511
Rep. Ken Buck – (202) 225-4676
Rep. Mike Gallagher – (202) 225-5665The vote will be reconsidered next week. They must vote YES!
Mayorkas has… pic.twitter.com/3QurelrwOk
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 7, 2024
Mr. Moore cast a “no” vote in the last moments of the vote. This procedural maneuver permits the Republican conference to rescind the legislation and bring it back to the floor for a later vote.
Because he was undergoing treatment for blood cancer, House Majority Leader Steven Scalise (R-La.) did not cast the vote.
When House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealed the results, the chamber erupted in Democratic applause.
Republicans intend to bring the bill up for a vote again next week when Mr. Scalise hopefully returns, according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a fervent supporter of the attempt to impeach Mr. Mayorkas. She made this announcement to reporters following the vote.
🚨 @RepMTG on the vote to Impeach Secretary Mayorkas: “There was a motion to recommit. That means that we can bring the Articles of Impeachment back to the floor maybe as early as next week. So, this is not over yet.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 7, 2024
Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) abstained from the vote after it was cast, although he did so purely out of procedure so that the House might take up the issue again later.
“We can bring this back to the floor for another vote, and we can pass it,” she said.
When asked if she had a message to the four defecting Republicans, Ms. Greene replied, “I don’t think I have to give them a message. I think they’ll hear from their constituents, and hopefully maybe they change their minds over the weekend.”
Following the vote, Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) stated that Speaker Johnson was not at fault for the outcome.
“I think it’s their own belief system,” he said of the four Republicans who voted against impeachment.
“We don’t carry a stick; we allow our members to vote their conscience, and that’s what happened.”
The White House celebrated the failure of the resolution.
“Clearly, there is bipartisan agreement that this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment stunt should fail,” Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, said in a statement.
“House Republicans ought to realize that extreme political stunts like this are a waste of time and instead join the President, Secretary Mayorkas, and Republicans and Democrats who want to work together to deliver real solutions that actually strengthen border security,” he added.
The House Committee on Homeland Security brought the two articles of impeachment to a straight-party line vote last week. Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chairman of that subcommittee, oversaw the impeachment proceedings during the two-hour discussion.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, oversaw the impeachment opposition’s floor.
Impeachment Effort
During the discussion, Mr. Green stated that “we’ve all watched the unprecedented crisis at our borders unfold” while Mr. Mayorkas was in office. We’ve observed the mayhem.
Customs and Border Protection has recorded over 8.5 million interactions at our borders under Secretary Mayorkas’ direction, including over 7 million apprehensions at the Southwest border.
Article I of the measure accused Mr. Mayorkas of a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and claims that “in large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis, with many unlawfully remaining in the United States.”
“His refusal to obey the law is not only an offense against the separation of powers in the Constitution of the United States; it also threatens our national security and has had a dire impact on communities across the country,” it reads.
Article II accused Mr. Mayorkas of breaching the public trust by having “knowingly made false statements and knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], principally to obfuscate the results of his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law.”
The Mississippi Democrat’s opening remarks, in which she said that “what is happening here today is a travesty and an affront to the United States Constitution,” set the tone for the Democratic comments throughout the debate.
“Republican Members of Congress, sworn to support and defend the Constitution, are rejecting the framers’ intent and over two centuries of precedent in favor of a politically motivated sham impeachment. Republicans have failed to make a constitutionally viable case. Neither of the two articles are a high crime and misdemeanor under the Constitution.”
It won’t address issues at our border in any way. Furthermore, it is an unjustified assault on a committed public servant.
The article says that Mr. Mayorkas “delayed or denied access of the DHS Office of Inspector General [OIG] to DHS records and information, hampering the OIG’s ability to effectively perform its vital investigations, audits, inspections, and other reviews of agency programs and operations to meet the OIG’s obligations.” This is one of ten alleged examples.
The rhetoric became sharper as the parade of supporters for each side took to the floor podiums to voice their opinions. The House Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, referred to it as a “slapstick impeachment drive” and claimed that the “Trump-Putin MAGA faction” of the Republican Party was behind it.
Similarly, House Republicans, according to Rep. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), “are focused on just one thing: pleasing former President Trump.”
On the other side, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) called Mr. Mayorkas “this bum” and “this Benedict Arnold.”
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Blake Moore from Utah is apparently in favor of impeaching Mayorkas, but switched his vote to NO in a parliamentary tactic to avoid a tie vote, giving the the House another opportunity to vote on impeachment once Steve Scalise is back. https://t.co/bP41yHU6B5 pic.twitter.com/ZcjcVvABz6
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 7, 2024
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