Jamiesfeast – Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher played a crucial role in preventing the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. On Tuesday, Gallagher voted against the impeachment motion, effectively putting an end to his party’s attempt to hold Mayorkas accountable for his handling of the southern border.
Gallagher, along with three other Republicans, joined forces with every Democrat to reject the impeachment. With a slim majority, Republicans could only afford to lose two votes from their conference in order to pass the resolution. Unfortunately, the impeachment effort fell short, resulting in a 214-216 defeat.
In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gallagher criticized Secretary Mayorkas for implementing President Biden’s open border policies and contributing to the current crisis at the southern border. He argued that while proponents of impeachment failed to prove how Mayorkas’ incompetence meets the impeachment threshold set by Republicans in defense of former President Trump.
According to him, impeaching the cabinet secretary would only serve to open up the Pandora’s box of perpetual impeachment even further.
Republican Representatives Tom McClintock of California and Ken Buck of Colorado were among those who voted against the measure. Additionally, Utah Representative Blake Moore, who serves as the House GOP’s vice chair, initially voted in favor but later changed his vote to no, possibly to create an opportunity for the House to reconsider the motion.
The Republicans’ relentless efforts to impeach Mayorkas on allegations of “willful and systemic refusal” to enforce the law and betraying the public’s trust for the administration’s failure to control the influx of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border came to a halt with Tuesday’s vote.
Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise, from Louisiana, was absent during the vote. A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed on Tuesday night that Republicans have plans to bring another impeachment vote against Mayorkas to the floor once they have the necessary support for its passage.
Republicans, including those in Wisconsin, have argued that Mayorkas deliberately shirked his responsibilities. Democrats, on the other hand, view the whole endeavor as a partisan political ploy lacking any evidence of wrongdoing. Several legal experts have categorized the Republican grievances as policy disputes rather than serious offenses warranting impeachment.
Milwaukee Democratic Representative Gwen Moore expressed her disbelief and frustration with the situation, calling it “ludicrous.” In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she emphasized the seriousness of impeachment and pointed out that House Republicans have largely rejected a bipartisan package worth $118 billion. This package was intended to address border security concerns and provide assistance to countries such as Ukraine, both of which were requests made by Republicans themselves to support additional foreign aid.
“They prefer to keep the issue alive for Trump to use in his campaign rather than actually resolving it,” Moore remarked. “They won’t even address it…and now they want to impeach him? It just doesn’t make sense.”
During the vote, several Republicans, including Representatives Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, and Homeland Security Chair Mark Green of Tennessee, gathered around Gallagher near the back of the House chamber. They engaged in conversation with the Green Bay Republican.
During the event, Rep. Jody Arrington, a Texas Republican, had a lively conversation with Gallagher.
Gallagher, however, pointed out the similarities between the Democrats’ impeachments of Trump and the Republican effort against Mayorkas to explain why he rejected the push. He highlighted that the Democrats had “used impeachment as a weapon against Mr. Trump” but implied that the impeachment vote on Tuesday reached for a lower threshold.
According to Gallagher, establishing a new, less stringent standard for impeachment that lacks a clear boundary will not effectively address border security or hold Mr. Biden responsible. Additionally, this approach will establish a perilous precedent that can be exploited by subsequent Republican administrations.
Despite this, the majority of Wisconsin Republicans, like their fellow party members, supported the impeachment.
According to the Journal Sentinel, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican from Juneau, expressed his doubts about the credibility of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Fitzgerald accused Mayorkas of providing false information to Congress regarding the operational control of the border. He emphasized that there is no trust in Mayorkas within the House, and he believes that the current situation at the border poses a significant threat to the country.
“It’s not merely a matter of differing policies,” expressed Fitzgerald. “There is a deliberate intention behind these actions. That’s precisely why I am deeply concerned. If we fail to achieve tangible results during this congressional session, we could find ourselves facing dire consequences.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a representative from Prairie du Chein, boldly accused Mayorkas, the cabinet secretary, of intentionally violating the law.
Supporters of the impeachment effort dismissed concerns about the potential precedent that impeaching a cabinet secretary could establish.
Both Republican Representative Tom Tiffany and Senator Ron Johnson argue that Democrats set the precedent for impeachment by impeaching former President Donald Trump twice.
According to the Journal Sentinel, Tiffany stated that the repercussions of their actions have led to the establishment of new rules that we must abide by.
In a brief interview, Johnson expressed his disapproval of using impeachment as a tool for political back-and-forth. He pointed out that it was the Democrats who initiated this approach.
The impeachment attempt failed as both parties clashed over the approach to the southern border crisis in an election year. Republicans sought to block the $118 billion bipartisan border and foreign aid supplement deal, emphasizing the need for legislative action. Democrats highlighted Trump’s opposition to the package as a significant factor contributing to the stalemate.
In the entire history of the United States, only one cabinet secretary has ever faced impeachment by the House.
In 1876, William W. Belknap, who served as the secretary of war during President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration, faced impeachment. He was accused of corruption and of criminally disregarding his duty as Secretary of War. However, he was ultimately acquitted by the Senate.