Republicans said they had the votes to approve the charges against the homeland security secretary even amid skepticism in their ranks. There is virtually no chance of a conviction in the Democratic-led Senate.
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Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, would become the first sitting cabinet member to be impeached in American history.
The House pressed toward a vote on Tuesday on impeaching Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, on charges that he has willfully refused to enforce border laws and breached the public trust, as Republicans pursue a partisan indictment of President Biden’s immigration policies.
With just hours to go before the planned vote, G.O.P. leaders expressed confidence that they would have enough support to charge Mr. Mayorkas. But with Republicans in control of the House by a minuscule margin — and Democrats solidly opposed — they could afford no more than two defections. Two of their members have already said they will vote no, with a few others still publicly undecided.
On Tuesday morning, Representative Tom McClintock, Republican of California, announced that he would vote against the charges, joining Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, who had already vowed to break with his party on the matter. A handful of other Republicans remained on the fence, and at least one of them — Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin — voiced concerns with the charges in a closed-door party meeting Tuesday morning.
Still, when asked on Tuesday afternoon whether he had the votes to go through with the impeachment, Speaker Mike Johnson said, “I believe we do.”
Republican skeptics have privately warned that if the House impeaches Mr. Mayorkas now, making him the first sitting cabinet member to suffer that fate, future Republican cabinet members could be subjected to the same treatment.
“I respect everybody’s view on it,” Mr. Johnson told reporters Tuesday as he emerged from a morning meeting in which some Republicans vented their reservations. “I understand the heavy weight that impeachment is.”
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Source: nytimes.com
