U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman will play an integral role in the effort to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in the Senate.
Shortly after the House voted to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of immigration at the U.S. southern border, Hageman was selected by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, to serve as an impeachment manager for a Senate trial of Mayorkas, if needed.
“Mayorkas must be held accountable for both the long-term effect of this border crisis and the censorship weaponization he has directed against the American people,” Hageman said in a Tuesday press release. “I am grateful to be one of the select few chosen by Speaker Johnson to prosecute this case in the Senate, and I thank him for the confidence that he has placed in me. Mayorkas must go.”
Hageman voted to impeach Mayorkas on Tuesday, a second attempt at impeachment against the secretary that successfully passed this time by a razor thin 214-213 vote. No Democrats voted for the impeachment and three Republicans including outgoing Colorado congressman Ken Buck also voted against.
She describes Mayorkas as “the walking, talking epitome of the sort of tyrant” that America’s founders were concerned about.
“Not only has Secretary Mayorkas overseen an invasion across our borders, allowing enough fentanyl and other drugs to kill every man, woman, and child in the U.S., human trafficking controlled by vicious cartels, hundreds of people on the terror watch list, and a total of over 8.3 million illegal entries to date, he has lied to Congress multiple times while under oath and dismantled successful border policy that has led to the crisis we have today,” she said.
In total, two articles of impeachment were filed against Mayorkas for allegations of “willfully and systemically” refusing to comply with and violating federal immigration laws and breach of the public trust.
President Joe Biden slammed the vote, calling it a "blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship."
"This impeachment already failed once on a bipartisan vote,” Biden said. “Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security," the president said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Although illegal crossings at the border have surged during the Biden administration, it will be up for the Senate to decide whether poor job performance or lack of transparency is an impeachable offense.
Mayorkas is the first cabinet official to be impeached since the 1870s.
What Happens Next?
Once the articles of impeachment are delivered to the Senate, the chamber could schedule a trial during which senators would consider evidence, hear witnesses and vote to acquit or convict Mayorkas. They could also vote to dismiss the charges.
Hageman is one of the 11 impeachment managers named in the case, which includes conservative firebrands like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, who led the impeachment effort.
According to the New York Times, the Biden administration would have the right to have an agent or attorney appear on behalf of Mayorkas, which could include appointing House Democrats to serve on the defense team.
Senators would serve as the jury.
If a trial moves forward without the charges being dismissed, a two-thirds majority would be required to convict and remove Mayorkas, an extremely unlikely circumstance considering that Democrats hold the majority in that chamber
Hageman And Mayorkas
Hageman has frequently criticized Mayorkas during her time in office, calling him a liar and a “tyrant” to his face during a House Judiciary Committee meeting last July. She also supported an amendment proposed in September 2023 that would have reduced his salary to $1 per year.
She voted to impeach Mayorkas in the first vote taken earlier this month, which failed 216-214.
Last spring, she voted to support the Secure The Border Act, legislation that would have required the Department of Homeland Security to resume all activities related to constructing Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, provide more resources to America’s borders and make other immigration changes. The Senate has taken no action on this bill.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
