MADISON (WKOW) -- A Wisconsin Representative played an integral role in the failed vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The House of Representatives took up impeachment proceedings Tuesday over the Biden administration's handling of the southern border. Democrats were all united against the impeachment and Republicans, who have a very small majority in the House, apparently were not.
House Republicans say the secretary is violating immigration laws by not detaining enough migrants and say he lied to congress when he said the border is secure. Republicans say these things together have created a crisis, seeing record numbers of people crossing the border.
214 members of the House voted in favor of impeachment, all Republicans. 216 voted against, including just four Republicans.
Gallagher released a statement on X, saying following through with these articles would create a "new, lower standard for impeachment."
Gallagher says he agrees with fellow republicans that Mayorkas and President Biden created the "dangerous crisis" at the southern border. But the articles of impeachment failed to make the argument as to how his incompetence meets the impeachment threshold. The threshold republicans outlined while defending former president Donald trump.
Gallagher says Republicans rejected that precedent then and should reject it today. Concerned this precedent will be weaponized against future Republicans, it will only pry open the Pandora's box of perpetual impeachment.
The house could revisit plans to impeach Mayorkas but when that is, is not clear. If Mayorkas is to be impeached by the house later, the issue would then go to the Senate, where it would take a two-thirds majority vote to impeach and democrats have control.
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