Several members of the House Republican Conference told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday that they will seek to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a second time after Tuesday's vote to impeach him failed.
The article of impeachment against Mayorkas was voted down. 214 agree to 216 disagree, all House Democrats were joined by four Republicans in defeating the effort, which House Republicans have supported for months. Supporters of the effort blamed the failed vote on the absence of House Minority Leader Steve Scalise, who is currently undergoing treatment for blood cancer, and the next time he returns, the motion to reconsider the article of impeachment will pass. He expressed the view that there is a high possibility that week. (Related: Democrats wheeled hospitalized lawmaker 'in blue hospital uniform and tan socks' to save Mayorkas from impeachment)
“[The Republican detractors] They had a position they believed in, which is great. We’ll just do that when Steve Scalise comes back,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who is in charge of securing votes on the floor, said Wednesday at DCNF.
.@RepJeffries: “Instead of extreme MAGA Republicans pivoting to working with us in a common-sense way to solve real problems…their focus is on how we should work with Marjorie Taylor Greene.” and how to bring Steve Scalise back to Washington so he can continue to do Donald Trump's bidding.” pic.twitter.com/wd0f0GQbew
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 7, 2024
“The vote was close, but it failed by a tie. Don't worry about Mayorkas, we will win when Scalise returns next week,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole. told DCNF. “The other guys took people out of the hospital. That's totally fine. There's nothing wrong with that. We'll probably win next week.”
There are currently four vacancies in the House, three of which were previously held by Republicans due to resignations and expulsions, and Scalise's absence leaves the party one seat short of the House majority. Many rank-and-file members viewed this narrow majority as a cause for defeat.
“We have a slim majority. Everything is difficult,” Republican Rep. Brian Still of Wisconsin told DCNF. “I think we have a chance to see the impeachment vote come back in front of us again. I think we can pass.” (Related: House Republican majority temporarily reduced to one seat after Steve Scalise's cancer treatment)
“[Mike Johnson’s] As soon as Sen. Scalise returns, he will impeach Mr. Mayorkas,” Wisconsin Republican Congressman Glenn Grossman told DCNF. “Sometimes in this business you have to take chances,” he added, explaining Tuesday's vote was rejected.
A special election will be held on February 13th in New York's 3rd Congressional District, formerly home to now-ousted Republican Rep. George Santos. If Republican candidate Maji Melesa Pilip defeats her Democratic rival, former Rep. Tom Suozzi, the party will have even more room for error in a second vote, with some lawmakers threatening to impeach Mr. Mayorkas. I look forward to doing so.
“When Mr. Scalise comes back next week, hopefully winning that election and New York, he'll get it done. So I'm confident “I have it,” he said.
However, some lawmakers were unsure whether a second impeachment vote would take place. “We still don’t know what the plan is. It just happened last night,” Republican Rep. Celeste Malloy of Utah, a new member who took office in November 2023, told DCNF.
“It was a tie vote. And…one vote changed hands. It's not a huge loss. So we decided to regroup as a conference. I think we'll know more in the next week or so,” Malloy said. he said. “Basically, we have a one-vote majority.”
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