There's been chatter about impeaching Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for years now, with such an effort looking increasingly likely in the Republican-controlled House. On Sunday, CNN put out a piece detailing how Republicans are united on impeaching Mayorkas, highlighting how that includes support from moderates as well.
"From the far right and the Freedom Caucus to those more moderate, we have all been a part of this," Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) told the outlet. "We’ve all asked the tough questions, and I think we are at a point, and I believe that the American people agree with us, that Mayorkas needs to be impeached and we need to find quality leadership to lead Homeland Security." President Joe Biden won D'Esposito's district in 2020.
On Monday, Manu Raju also highlighted how Rep. Mike Lawler, another freshman Republican from New York, signaled his support.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a swing-district GOP freshman, told me that he supports impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — latest sign of growing support within House GOP. GOP leaders growing confident they have the votes, but a razor-thin majority makes nothing… https://t.co/Dhjlav8Op8
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 8, 2024
Rather than the effort going through the House Judiciary Committee, it's going through the House Homeland Security Committee chaired by Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), which would also give Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) more involvement.
As CNN amentioned about the process:
The emerging plan, according to multiple GOP lawmakers and aides, is to run the Mayorkas impeachment effort entirely through the House Homeland Security Committee as opposed to the House Judiciary Committee, where impeachment articles typically originate, though it is not constitutionally required.
The reason for that strategy – which sources said has been green lit by House Speaker Mike Johnson – is largely related to internal politics. Senior Republicans are confident they will have the votes to advance impeachment articles through the Homeland Security Committee, whereas there are still key Republican holdouts on the judiciary panel. Housing the effort in the Homeland Security Committee was also seen as a way to placate firebrand GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who serves on the panel and had been threatening to force another snap floor vote on a Mayorkas impeachment resolution.
Plus, the House voted in November to refer Greene’s initial Mayorkas impeachment resolution to the Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over border security issues and already led a monthslong investigation into problems at the southern border.
And with the Judiciary Committee’s plate already full with other investigations, lawmakers say it makes sense to have the Homeland Security Committee take the lead as they race to capitalize on the issue with the Biden administration struggling to contain the crisis at the border.
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Greene has been particularly vocal about impeaching Mayorkas, with an effort of hers being tabled last November.
The report makes mention of that failed effort, including when it comes to how Republicans might be willing to come around, including moderates and those who voted with Democrats to table the motion:
Eight Republicans voted with Democrats to scuttle an effort to impeach Mayorkas in November. But several of those members are indicating they’d back impeaching Mayorkas if it goes through the committee process.
“I look forward to voting for impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas – when we’ve adhered to regular order and made good on our commitments,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican of North Carolina, who voted with Democrats in November to send the Mayorkas impeachment resolution to the Homeland Security Committee.
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Even moderate Republicans, including ones in districts that Biden carried in 2020, are signaling more willingness to impeach Mayorkas than the president – a sign of the shifting political terrain on the issue.
GOP Rep. Nick LaLota, another New York freshman congressman in a competitive reelection who also sits on the homeland security panel and has not yet backed Biden’s impeachment, said he believes Mayorkas ought to be removed because “he is the one most solely responsible for our nation’s open border.”
And Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who represents a district won by Biden and has expressed caution against impeaching the president, signaled an openness to impeaching Mayorkas.
“I’ll be in listening mode on this,” Bacon told CNN. “We have a disaster at the border, and he’s in charge.”
D’Esposito, the New York freshman, said he “absolutely,” backed impeaching Mayorkas, attacking the secretary for a “dereliction of duty.”
The House Judiciary Committee, as the report mentions, is indeed busy "with other investigations," which include looking into the president as well as Hunter Biden and their role in the Biden crime family. On Wednesday, the same day that the first impeachment hearing will take place, the Judiciary Committee will be conducting a markup of the resolution to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress, after he skipped out on subpoenas last month.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) had repeatedly warned Hunter that he was expected to appear for closed-door testimony, and that he would be held in contempt if he did not. Rather than appear on December 13, Hunter gave a press conference on the Senate side of the Capitol, in a space reserved by Rep, Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and then left.
The complaints against Mayorkas and his failure for dealing with the border include issues even the CNN report had to mention, such as the record amount of encounters at the border and the amount of people on the terror watch list who have crossed over, which is an issue at the northern border as well.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), during his epic appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation", referred to the situation as "a humanitarian catastrophe." The speaker had strong words for Mayorkas as well, noting he "put a welcome mat out." When asked by Brennan why impeach him instead of seeking his help, Johnson pointed out that "we've been asking Alexand--Secretary Mayorkas since he took office, to enforce the law, to do his job, and he's done exactly the opposite. He's testified un--untruthfully before Congress, repeatedly."
"I believe Secretary Mayorkas is an abject failure, but it's not because of incompetence. I believe he has done this intentionally. I think these are intentional policy decisions that he's made. And I think there must be accountability for that. And I--I can tell you, the vast majority of Americans agree with us on that point," he also shared.
Johnson also stood his ground on referring to Mayorkas as "a not good faith negotiating partner" who "is unwilling to enforce existing federal law." When Brennan tried to argue it was "a semantic argument" that Mayorkas has lied about the border being closed and secured, Johnson insisted "that is a matter of objective fact."
On the Republican push to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the border:@margbrennan: "You're going to impeach the guy you're trying to negotiate with."@SpeakerJohnson: "Secretary Mayorkas is not a good faith negotiating partner." pic.twitter.com/9eYtNG3UXM
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 7, 2024
Members of the Biden administration, including Mayorkas himself, have repeatedly tried to downplay the situation. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre laughably claimed that Biden has taken the crisis "very seriously," while also blaming Republicans and the Trump administration. It's a tactic that the Biden administration has continued to go with for 2024.
Mayorkas has gone with some particularly ridiculous narratives in recent days, including blaming the surge of crossings on climate change.
Impeaching Mayorkas may have been concept Brennan just couldn't wrap her head around, but polls show that this issue does not look good for Biden and his administration. RealClearPolitics currently has Biden with just a 33 percent approval rating on how he's handled immigration, making it one of his worst issues.
Climate change?
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 3, 2024
Mayorkas is pathetic.
The REAL reason illegal immigration records are being set is because Biden refuses to enforce immigration laws.
We will send more buses and planes.
We will continue building the razor wire walls that Biden wants to tear down. https://t.co/Z0j9MVS74c
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