KY Republican representatives in Congress vote to impeach Homeland Security secretary
All five of Kentucky’s Republican U.S. House representatives cast votes to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – a vote that failed in stunning fashion Tuesday night.
Reps. Andy Barr, James Comer, Thomas Massie, Brett Guthrie and Hal Rogers stuck together on the measure meant to repudiate the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border.
Border crossings from Mexico have reached record highs with arrests hitting 250,000 in December alone.
But the partisan attempt broke down when four Republicans abandoned their caucus and joined all Democrats, including Kentucky’s Morgan McGarvey, to oppose the impeachment attempt. It failed 216-214.
Massie has been the most vocal critic of Mayorkas, but for a different reason. He’s accused the secretary of obstructing Congress, due to the deletion of text messages and the destruction of phones by Secret Service officers in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Comer, who is pursuing impeachment of President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings, subpoenaed Mayorkas last fall as part of his investigation.
But he had no reaction to Tuesday’s failed impeachment vote.
“I really haven’t had the time to think about it yet,” Comer told Punchbowl News Tuesday evening.
Despite not having a precise whip count, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) moved ahead with the impeachment vote, expressing confidence throughout the day yesterday he had the votes to oust Mayorkas.
But now some Republicans, including Massie, are sharing frustration about dumping ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
“Getting rid of Speaker McCarthy has officially turned into an unmitigated disaster,” Massie said. “Our majority has shrunk.”
But an aide to Johnson conveyed that the speaker would bring the resolution back up “when we have the votes for passage.”
“House Republicans ought to realize that extreme political stunts like this are a waste of time, and instead join the President, Secretary Mayorkas, and Republicans and Democrats who want to work together to deliver real solutions that actually strengthen border security,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
The unsuccessful attempt at repudiation in the House followed a breakdown in the U.S. Senate of a bipartisan effort to secure the southern border due to conservative opposition.
“It was my side that wanted to tackle the border issue. We started it,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged to reporters on Tuesday.
