(Townhall) On Tuesday night, the House narrowly voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Such a vote of 214-213, which took place thanks to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) being back from his cancer treatment, happened one week after the House failed to do so. Mayorkas now becomes only the second cabinet member ever impeached, and the first since 1876.
Mayorkas is only the second cabinet secretary to ever be impeached.
The first was Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 14, 2024
Per CNN’s Manu Raju, House Republicans had expressed confidence beforehand that they had the necessary votes to impeach. The vote, originally planned for 6:30, was delayed by close to an hour as the House first voted to pass a human trafficking prevention bill and then had to reconsider the motion to impeach Mayorkas.
At one point, when the vote was tied at 213-213, Democrats could be heard shouting for order. More noise was heard when the vote came down at 214-213, as members applauded when Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that the resolution to impeach Mayorkas was adopted. It also sounded as if at least one Democrat could be heard shouting “shame.”
Dems shouting order as vote is at a tie https://t.co/9f9eQSs6zb pic.twitter.com/ASXTS19Fl5
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) February 14, 2024
House impeaches DHS Sec Mayorkas by ONE vote — Speaker Johnson said it was adopted 214 to 213
~I think one House D shouted “shame”~ as it was gaveled down
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) February 14, 2024
All Democrats voted last week against the effort to impeach Mayorkas–just as they did this week. Texas Rep. Al Green even made a dramatic entrance last week in a hospital gown and without shoes, coming from the hospital after he had had an operation days before. Three Republicans also did so, though, including Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and Tom McClintock of California. Buck already announced his retirement months before, and Gallagher has since announced he would be retiring, though he cited the amount of time he had been in the House and his family as his reasons.
It was shared last Monday by Fox News’ Chad Pergram that the impeachment managers would include House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who were both instrumental in such an effort. Other names mentioned include Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS), as well as Reps. Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), August Pfluger (R-TX) Harriet Hageman (R-WY), and Laurel Lee (R-FL).
Chairman Green released a lengthy statement praising the vote not long after Mayorkas was impeached, also speaking to how the House will not tolerate such “lawlessness” on the issue, and urging the Senate to remove Mayorkas:
