In a significant setback for House Republicans, their months-long endeavor to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the southern border crisis was defeated on Tuesday. Three GOP lawmakers broke ranks and voted against the measure, resulting in a 214-216 vote.
Here are the 3 House Republicans who torpedoed Mayorkas’ impeachment vote https://t.co/qSwndJJY0K #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) February 7, 2024
The vote primarily followed party lines, with Democrats standing firm against the resolution. However, Republican Representatives Tom McClintock (CA), Ken Buck (CO), and Mike Gallagher (WI) opposed the measure, arguing that while they disapproved of Mayorkas’ actions, the impeachment threshold had not been met. They cautioned that this could set a dangerous precedent for future Republican administrations.
One additional Republican lawmaker switched their vote at the last minute, allowing for the resolution to be brought back to the floor. This was House Vice Conference Chairman Blake Moore (R-Utah) – a member of the Republican leadership. But Moore’s “nay” vote against impeaching Mayorkas deserves an asterisk. He’s not really against impeaching Mayorkas. Moore voted no so the Republican effort to impeach Mayorkas could live to fight another day. Had he voted Aye, the vote would have been tied and technically a loss. FOX News explains the arcane shenanigans here.