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Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) on Tuesday spoke out against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, hours before the chamber was set to take up the historic measure. “Secretary Mayorkas is guilty of maladministration of our immigration laws on a cosmic scale, but we know that’s not grounds for impeachment because the American founders specifically rejected it,” he argued on the House floor. “They didn’t want political disputes to become impeachment because that would shatter the separation of powers that vests the enforcement of the laws with the president — no matter how bad a job he does. Cabinet secretaries can’t serve two masters. They can be impeached for committing a crime relating to their office, but not for carrying out presidential policy.” Rep. McClintock is one of at least two Republicans who said they will vote against impeaching Secretary Mayorkas for “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust.” Given their slim majority, Republicans can afford only three defections assuming all 431 members vote. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the ranking member of the Rules Committee, then thanked Rep. McClintock for his “honesty.” “I don’t normally agree with very much of what Mr. McClintock says, but I want to publicly thank him for being honest,” he said. “And if we are being honest with one another, we would not be bringing this impeachment resolution of Secretary Mayorkas forward. This is a sham. This is a joke. It has no basis within the Constitution. This is a political ploy.” Only one cabinet secretary has been impeached in U.S. history: Secretary of War William Belknap, who was impeached in 1876 over corruption allegations related to military trading posts. He resigned from his office and was subsequently acquitted in the Senate despite a majority of senators voting to convict. Watch more by tapping the link in our bio. #houseofrepresentatives #congress #alejandromayorkas #mayorkas #dhs #homelandsecurity #impeach #impeachment #cspan
Duration: 113 sPosted : Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:13:04Views
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