(NewsSpace.com) – With the border crisis out of control, conservatives in Congress are looking to hold President Joe Biden’s administration accountable. In January, the House Committee on Homeland Security voted to advance impeachment measures against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It was originally brought to the floor on February 6, where the vote failed to advance. However, they held another vote on Tuesday, February 13, and that one passed.
In each of the votes, a few Republicans sided with Democrats to keep the measure from advancing to the Senate. However, House Conservatives took advantage of the fact that a Democratic member was out due to illness and the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to carry out another vote. This time it passed, and the Lower Chamber successfully impeached Mayorkas by a very narrow margin of 214 to 213. Republican Reps. Ken Buck (CO), Tom McClintock (CA), and Mike Gallagher (WI) sided with Democrats both times. Two Republicans and two Democrats were absent.
The two counts against Mayorkas were for “breach of public trust” and “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law.” The move marked the first time in nearly 150 years that a Cabinet member was impeached. The last was William Belknap, a War secretary, in 1876.
Biden took the time to address the impeachment as well, accusing House Republicans of “play[ing] petty political games” in a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship.” A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Mia Ehrenberg, said Republicans have “falsely smeared a dedicated public servant.”
From here, the impeachment articles will go to the Senate, where they’re likely to die. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has not committed to holding a trial, and the Upper Chamber has a Democratic majority. They would need a two-thirds majority vote to impeach Mayorkas, which seems highly unlikely given the wide skepticism among the Left.
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