House committee to formally begin impeachment proceedings against Biden Homeland Security chief

CNN

By Lauren Fox, CNN

(CNN) — House Republicans will forge ahead with steps to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, a GOP source tells CNN.

In a statement provided to CNN, a committee spokesperson said “the House Committee on Homeland Security has conducted a comprehensive investigation into Secretary Mayorkas’ handling of, and role in, the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border” for nearly a year.

“Following the bipartisan vote in the House to refer articles of impeachment against the secretary to our Committee, we will be conducting hearings and taking up those articles in the coming weeks,” the statement said.

The committee spokesperson told CNN the hearing will begin next week. “The Committee will ensure that the public is aware of the scope of Secretary Mayorkas’ egregious misconduct and refusal to enforce the law, but also that this process is completed promptly and accountability is achieved swiftly—as the American people have demanded,” the statement said.

The Department of Homeland Security reacted to the news on Wednesday, with spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg saying in a statement, “The House majority is wasting valuable time and taxpayer dollars pursuing a baseless political exercise that has been rejected by members of both parties and already failed on a bipartisan vote.”

“There is no valid basis to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, as senior members of the House majority have attested, and this extreme impeachment push is a harmful distraction from our critical national security priorities,” Ehrenberg added. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”

Mayorkas sought to downplay concerns about an impeachment on Wednesday, but advocated strongly for funding for border security, warning that his department does not have the resources “to perform our jobs as fully and completely as we could.”

The moment, however, underscores how complicated it will be for any agreement on a border deal to get through the House. Mayorkas has been a key player in bipartisan Senate talks.

“We need additional personnel to advance our security at the border. We need technology to advance our fight against fentanyl. We need additional asylum officers to really accelerate the asylum adjudication process,” he said during an appearance on “CNN This Morning,” pointing to a building backlog of 3 million immigration court cases.

Asked by CNN’s Phil Mattingly whether an impeachment effort would complicate any efforts to pass a border deal, Mayorkas said, “I certainly hope not.”

The latest development comes after the House voted in November to refer a resolution to impeach Mayorkas to the Homeland Security Committee in a 209-201 vote, with eight Republicans voting with Democrats.

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia filed a privileged resolution to impeach Mayorkas in November, forcing GOP leadership to schedule floor action on the measure.

Since retaking the House majority, Republicans have long sought to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the Department of Homeland Security and the US border with Mexico. Greene’s move came as Republicans have been pushing for stricter border security provisions in any supplemental aid package.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.