On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, overturning their failed vote on the extraordinary measure a week ago.
The House voted 214-213 to pass two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on charges of "willful and systematic refusal to comply" with federal immigration law and misleading Congress about the border's security.
Mayorkas is only the second Cabinet official to be impeached, following Secretary of War William Belknap, who left President Ulysses S. Grant's administration in 1876, just hours before the House officially accused him of corruption.
Later, Belknap was acquitted by the Senate, which was also expected for Mayorkas given that politically vulnerable Senate Democrats, like Jon Tester of Montana, have dismissed the House's attempt to impeach him as "political games."
However, several Republicans in the Senate, which have the authority to hold trials if they are impeached or charged by the House, are vowing to make the case for removal nonetheless.
"There will absolutely be many who believe his case merits removal from office and will vote accordingly," a Senate GOP aide told The Post. "Since Democrats control the chamber, however, it's basically certain that the vote will fail - if [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer [D-NY] allows it to happen in the first place."
The aide added that there has never been in American history an impeachment where the Senate has refused to vote on the matter. The aide noted that it would be unprecedented if Schumer killed it procedurally, without a vote.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (Tenn.) and Representatives Michael Guest (Miss.), Michael McCaul (Texas), August Pfluger (Texas), Clay Higgins (La.), Ben Cline (Va.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Andrew Garbarino (NY), Laurel Lee (Fla.), Harriet Hageman (Wyo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), who authored the resolution, are among the 11 GOP impeachment managers that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has already named to argue for conviction during a Senate trial.
Representatives Ken Buck (Colo.), Tom McClintock (Calif.), and Mike Gallagher (Wis.) are the three Republicans who have opposed the resolution this week and last week. But no other GOP members joined them on the subsequent vote.
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Republicans Criticize Biden, Mayorkas
Republicans criticized Democratic President Joe Biden on border security as a record number of migrants have been apprehended illegally crossing the US-Mexico border, with criticism focused on Mayorkas.
According to Reuters, Republicans accused Biden of unduly reversing some of the restrictive border policies of Republican former President Donald Trump, who is expected to face Biden in the November presidential election.
If the Republican-controlled House impeaches him, it is unlikely that Mayorkas will be found guilty in a trial in the Senate controlled by Democrats.
On Wednesday, a small, bipartisan group of senators conducted a meeting to strengthen security measures along the border between the US and Mexico. "We're closing in" on a compromise, independent senator Kyrsten Sinema told reporters as she exited the meeting.
Related Article : House GOP Fails To Impeach Mayorkas Over Border Handling
