Biden fumes after GOP-led House impeaches his immigration chief Mayorkas: ‘Petty political games’

Launching a scathing attack on the 214 House Republicans who supported Alejandro Mayorkas’ impeachment, US President Biden asserted that “history will not look kindly” on them. He called the move a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship”.

U.S. President Joe Biden (REUTERS)

In a vote of 214–213, the House accepted two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, accusing him of deliberately disobeying immigration law and misleading Congress about the state of border security. It is for the second time in US history that a Cabinet member has been impeached. In 1876, William Belknap, the secretary of war and a former state legislator from Iowa, was removed from office.

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In a statement released by the White House, Biden praised Mayorkas’ “integrity” and his “decorated” career in law enforcement and public service, labeling the two articles of impeachment brought against the DHS secretary as “baseless.”

The US President further claimed that Republicans had “targeted an honorable public servant” for small-time political maneuvering.

“History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games,” Biden said.

“Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security,” he added.

Echoing similar views, Representative Mia Ehrenberg of the Homeland Security Department slammed the vote, saying that House Republicans have “trampled on the Constitution.” He further claimed that a loyal public servant was “falsely tarnished” without supporting documentation or legitimate constitutional arguments, reported New York Times.

Also Read: Who is Ken Buck, the Republican who voted against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas?

Mayorkas ‘deserves to be impeached’, says Speaker Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) accused Mayorkas of knowingly disobeying federal immigration rules, eroding public confidence, and violating his oath of office.

“He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office,” he said.

“Alejandro Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and Congress has a constitutional obligation to do so,” the House Speaker added.

Last week, Johnson and other prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill rejected a bipartisan Senate bill that would have linked border security to funding for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine.

The impeachment process will now move to the US Senate and it will require a two-thirds majority to convict and remove Mayorkas from office.