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Three Republican lawmakers voted in opposition to impeaching Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro Mayorkas Tuesday night time because the Home of Representatives efficiently impeached the border chief over his mishandling of the unlawful immigration disaster on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., bucked their social gathering to facet with Democrats in opposing Mayorkas’ impeachment.
That is the primary time a Cupboard secretary has been impeached by the U.S. Congress since 1876.
The 214-213 vote comes after Mayorkas narrowly defeated impeachment final week when each Home Democrat confirmed as much as defend him, together with Rep. Al Inexperienced, D-Texas, who briefly left the hospital the place he was recovering from surgical procedure to solid his vote.
HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER BORDER CRISIS
Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., bucked their social gathering to facet with Democrats in opposing Mayorkas’ impeachment. (Getty Photos)
Home Republicans have accused Mayorkas of ignoring present immigration legislation and worsening the scenario on the Southern Border.
The three Republicans who voted in opposition to impeachment on Tuesday have criticized Mayorkas’ dealing with of the border however expressed reservations over whether or not it rose to the extent of impeachment. McClintock warned it might set a precedent for political impeachments that would hurt Republican officers sooner or later.
“Swapping one leftist for an additional is a fantasy, solves nothing, excuses Biden’s culpability, and unconstitutionally expands impeachment that sometime will chew Republicans,” McClintock mentioned final week.
However Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed again on issues about precedent when talking to reporters hours earlier than the vote on Tuesday.
“Mayorkas is an distinctive case in U.S. historical past,” Johnson mentioned, including that the secretary has accomplished extra “injury on the nation than any Cupboard secretary that is ever been.”
Johnson additionally spoke in regards to the probably state of affairs that the impeachment would go nowhere within the Democrat-controlled Senate.
“The Home has a constitutional accountability, as I’ve mentioned many occasions. It is most likely the heaviest subsequent to a declaration of battle. And now we have to do our job no matter what the opposite chamber does,” he mentioned.
HOUSE FAILS TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS IN MAJOR BLOW TO GOP
Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the Home of Representatives. (Getty Photos)
Two impeachment articles have been accredited in opposition to Mayorkas by the Home Homeland Safety Committee: one alleging he “refused to adjust to Federal immigration legal guidelines” and the opposite alleging he violated “public belief.”
The Division of Homeland Safety criticized Home Republicans for holding a second Mayorkas impeachment vote on Tuesday, pointing to feedback by GOP lawmakers who’ve referred to as the hassle a waste of time.
“Home Republicans’ baseless push to question Secretary Mayorkas has already failed as soon as, with bipartisan opposition,” the division mentioned. “If Members of Congress care about our nationwide safety, they need to hearken to their fellow Republicans and cease losing time on this pointless, unconstitutional impeachment – time that might be spent addressing the difficulty by advancing bipartisan laws to repair our damaged immigration legal guidelines and supply wanted sources for border safety.”
A DHS spokesperson mentioned Home Republicans “will probably be remembered by historical past for trampling on the Structure for political achieve moderately than working to unravel the intense challenges at our border.”
“Whereas Secretary Mayorkas was serving to a gaggle of Republican and Democratic Senators develop bipartisan options to strengthen border safety and get wanted sources for enforcement, Home Republicans have wasted months with this baseless, unconstitutional impeachment,” the spokesperson mentioned.
“With out a shred of proof or respectable Constitutional grounds, and regardless of bipartisan opposition, Home Republicans have falsely smeared a devoted public servant who has spent greater than 20 years implementing our legal guidelines and serving our nation,” the spokesperson added. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Division of Homeland Safety will proceed working day by day to maintain Individuals secure.”
Home Republicans have accused Mayorkas of ignoring present immigration legislation and worsening the scenario on the Southern Border. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos)
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President Biden mentioned, “historical past won’t look kindly on Home Republicans for his or her blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has focused an honorable public servant with the intention to play petty political video games.”
“This impeachment already failed on a bipartisan vote,” Biden mentioned. “As an alternative of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with real issues in regards to the border ought to need Congress to ship extra border sources and stronger border safety.”
The articles will now head to the Senate, the place the workplace of Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mentioned Mayorkas’ impeachment trial will start later this month.
“The Home impeachment managers will current the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work interval,” Schumer’s workplace mentioned in a press release. “Senators will probably be sworn in as jurors within the trial the subsequent day. Senate President Professional Tempore Patty Murray will preside.”
Fox Information’ Elizabeth Elkind and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
3 Republicans buck their social gathering, vote in opposition to impeaching DHS Secretary Mayorkas
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