The House Homeland Security Committee voted to impeach Secretary of State Alejandro Mayorkas for essentially leaving the southern border wide open. Speaker Mike Johnson vows to bring it to a vote in the House of Commons “as soon as possible.” The problem is that the House is impeaching the wrong person. Prosecuting the bag guy is fine, but focus on the dealer.
Secretary Mayorkas is implementing President Joe Biden's policies. Everything Mr. Mayorkas did was done under Mr. Biden's direction. Nothing Mr. Mayorkas did wrong was known to the president. Laws ignored, obligations not met, and responsibilities abdicated were not a direct result of Biden's policies.
What are Biden's policies? To keep America's borders wide open, but to learn about occasional administrative practices. One might wonder what his rationale is. Any justification seems absurd. He also reduced America's dedicated and highly professional Customs and Border Protection to just babysitting and operating a shuttle service for illegal immigrants.
During Biden's term, millions of illegal aliens came across the border. They travel in the face of great danger and sacrifice, and most are unable to claim admission except by desire. But it also includes countless criminals and terrorists. Mr. Biden also shares the guilt for the criminal and terrorist acts committed in the United States by these illegal aliens. (Related: Sen. Tommy Tuberville: Democrats' border crisis is all about power at the polls. Here's how to fix it)
Many more people, seduced by America's promises and Biden's open borders, are dying from exhaustion, disease, and criminal activity. Biden, who seduced these poor souls, shares the guilt of their suffering and death. He is directly complicit in crimes against humanity.
What we are experiencing here is an invasion, not by a foreign power or organized military, but an invasion nonetheless. As commander in chief, Biden is responsible for ensuring the safety of the American people from invasion. As commander in chief, Biden is guilty of gross dereliction of duty.
Whatever the essential merits of the Senate's new bipartisan immigration bill, it is neither necessary nor sufficient to stop the invasion. President Trump's policies are working and would have steadily increased in effectiveness had construction on the border wall continued. Biden reversed those policies. It is enough for him to reverse himself. But of course he doesn't.
The commander-in-chief stands with open arms as the southern border is seized, but he raises his fist toward Texas, which is trying to stop Biden's invasion. Twenty-five Republican governors have now signed a letter supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott's efforts to protect the country. Many, like Brad Little in Idaho, have sent state troopers to assist. No doubt, many Democratic governors would also have wanted to sign the letter to Biden. By failing to sign, they have chosen their political party over the security of their states and the nation.
“High crimes and misdemeanors” is the constitutional standard that justifies impeachment. Encouraging, abetting, or facilitating invasion across the southern border clearly meets the criteria. Biden's policies are in direct violation of his oath of office. This violates the constitutional agreement between the federal and state governments. In a word, it is “treason.''
That's a tough decision. A shocking term when applied to the President of the United States. Rebellion. But it is appropriate, and no one considering Biden's actions and their consequences can disagree with this. (Related: J.D. Foster: Congress doesn't need a “Finance Committee.” It takes courage.)
A few years ago, it would have seemed highly inappropriate to impeach Biden with an election looming. Let the voters decide. However, when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi forced an impeachment vote against then-President Trump, he had only seven days left in his term. Mr. Pelosi and her friends set a precedent that we all must now accept.
Perhaps this country would be better off if the House had not followed Pelosi's example. After all, the Senate will likely and ultimately pass the motion but fail to convict.
But alas, a well-founded justification, not to mention a temptation. Director Mayorkas is simply carrying out orders. If the House is going to act, he should first act against the person who gave the order.
J.D. Foster is the former Chief Economist of the Office of Management and Budget and the former Chief Economist and Executive Vice Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He now lives relatively freely in the hills of Idaho.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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