House Democrats released a comprehensive 29-page report on Monday vehemently defending Defense Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas against what they termed an impeachment effort driven by political motives. They characterized the initiative as a “politically motivated sham” designed to appease the far-right segment of the political spectrum.
The release of this detailed report precedes a crucial House Homeland Security Committee vote scheduled for Tuesday, which will determine whether a resolution to impeach the cabinet secretary advances.
Democrats on the committee assert that this impeachment effort is not only unfounded but also constitutes a “total waste of time.” They argue that it fails to specify any charges that meet the constitutional criteria for impeachment, such as treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Mayorkas (Credits: John Moore/Getty Images)
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the leading Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, emphasized during a press conference on Monday that the high threshold set by the Constitution for impeachment, requiring evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors, has not been met.
“We don’t see the high crimes and misdemeanors standard being met,” Thompson stated, expressing confidence that history would validate their stance.
House Republicans, however, had released two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas the day before, accusing him of a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and a “breach of public trust.”
In their report, Democrats from the committee contend that these impeachment articles lack substantive evidence to substantiate the charges. They further argue that the broader effort has failed to afford Mayorkas due process and to address the “real challenges” faced at the borders.
The Democrats’ report characterizes the impeachment endeavor led by MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters as a “baseless sham.”
It criticizes Committee Republicans for creating vague and unprecedented grounds for impeachment, likening the process to “throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.”
The report concludes with the assertion that rational Republicans, even if reluctant to admit it, acknowledge the baselessness of the impeachment effort against Secretary Mayorkas.
Republicans in Congress have consistently sought to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable for the administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
They have accused him of a failure to enforce the nation’s laws amidst a surge of migrants. The impeachment proceedings, which saw two hearings this month featuring testimony from attorneys general and mothers who claimed their children’s deaths were linked to Mayorkas’ border management failures, have been met with resistance from Democrats and the Department of Homeland Security.
In response to the impeachment articles, the Department of Homeland Security denounced the effort as a “distraction from other vital national security priorities” and as a divergence from the necessary work Congress should be doing to rectify immigration laws.
Despite the ongoing objections, House Republicans remain steadfast in their impeachment endeavor. House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled last week that a vote on Mayorkas’ impeachment would proceed “as soon as possible” after the articles clear the committee.
Even if the House votes to impeach Mayorkas, conviction in a Senate trial, where a two-thirds majority is required, remains unlikely, given the Democrat-controlled nature of the chamber. However, if successful, Mayorkas’ impeachment would be the first of any cabinet official since 1876.
