Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) released a statement following the House’s failed attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. An incredibly small minority of Republicans killed the vote as Democrats voted upon party lines against it.
The initial vote was 215-215 until Representative Blake Moore (R-UT) changed his vote to no so the bill could be reconsidered. It officially was tallied as a 216-214 failure.
The three Republicans (four if you count Rep. Moore) who voted against the bill include Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Mike Gallagher (R-WI).
Rep. Bilirakis said in a statement that the “evidence clearly shows” Secretary Mayorkas deserves to be impeached.
“Last night, I voted to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas. The Articles of Impeachment are the product of a thorough, fair, and comprehensive investigation into the causes, costs, and consequences of the unprecedented border crisis he has facilitated,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “The evidence clearly shows that Secretary Mayorkas’ lawless behavior warrants impeachment as he has willfully and systemically refused to follow the law passed by Congress, violated the separation of powers, and acted with deliberate indifference to the clear evidence of lawlessness at the border and in the interior.”
He continued by mentioning that he is confident Republicans will have the votes “when more of our Members return,” and that Republicans should “not rest until Mayorkas is impeached!”
The proceeding – triggered by the majority of Republicans’ belief that Secretary Mayorkas has neglected his post and committed dereliction of duty – will keep the Homeland Security Secretary from standing trial in the Senate (for now).
Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) Deputy Chief for Communications Raj Shah said that Republicans in the House will bring the effort back to the lower chamber "when [the GOP] has the votes."
House Republicans fully intend to bring Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas back to the floor when we have the votes for passage.
— Raj Shah (@RajShahDC) February 7, 2024
"House Republicans fully intend to bring Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas back to the floor when we have the votes for passage," said Shah.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was the only absent representative for the vote. With his support, the bill would've passed. He did not attend as he is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Furthermore, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) sat down with The Floridian to talk about Mayorkas and the prospect of his impeachment.
We asked if the impeachment of Mayorkas could lead to the impeachment of President Joe Biden (D), as one could argue that if Mayorkas is indeed breaking the law, he is doing so with the blessings of the President.
Rep. Diaz-Balart responded that a “case-by-case basis” perspective is necessary.
“It’s a case-by-case basis and impeachment is not a simple thing, number one. Number two is you have to trust the people who were in those committees and jurisdictions like Carlos Gimenez who’s been working day in and day out on that issue.”
He continued, “You could always argue that anything we do could have a precedent someplace else. The question is, has Secretary Mayorkas lied to Congress? I think the evidence is pretty clear that he has. Is he doing his job? It’s pretty clear that unless you think his job was to just open the border and let everybody in and destroy even the legal process of coming in. If that’s what his job was, he’s done that pretty well.”
Republicans will likely attempt to impeach Secretary Mayorkas upon House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s return.
