Rep. Mark Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Tuesday that his panel has "no other option" at this point than to finishing the impeachment process of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
"We gave Secretary Mayorkas three opportunities since August, including for these proceedings, to defend his record in person. Each time, he delayed and evaded. We even offered to accept written testimony from him in connection with our last hearing—a request he took us up on at 4:48 this morning. This 11th hour response demonstrates the lack of seriousness with which Secretary Mayorkas views his responsibilities," Green said at the markup of two impeachment articles against Mayorkas on Tuesday.
"Part of the reason we are here is because on Nov. 13, 2023, 201 Democrats, including 13 Democrats sitting here today, voted to refer articles of impeachment to our committee. Every Democrat on the floor that night voted to do so. You don’t get to vote for something and then cry foul when it happens. No Democrat has a right to complain about the process without admitting they regret that vote," he also said.
Green continued, saying, "We are here because our oath and duty compel us to be here. The actions and decisions of Secretary Mayorkas have left us with no other option than to proceed with articles of impeachment."
According to the official text of the impeachment resolution, the GOP-led committee is impeaching Mayorkas for "willfully and systemically" refusing to "comply with federal immigration laws." The second article charges Mayorkas with breaching the public trust.
The text of the resolution argues that Mayorkas "knowingly made false statements to Congress that the border is 'secure,' that the border is 'no less secure than it was 16 previously,' that the border is ‘closed,' and that 17 DHS has ‘'operational control' of the border."
Democrats on the committee have argued that the Republicans are impeaching Mayorkas over immigration and border policy disagreements with President Biden.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's top Democrat, described the markup as a "sham impeachment" and a "baseless political stunt by extreme MAGA Republicans."
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