'Should not set this precedent': GOP rep explains his vote against Mayorkas impeachment
Even though Republicans are marching ahead with their campaign to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, at least one is defecting.
Earlier this week, the Republican-controlled House Homeland Security Committee voted 18-15 along party lines to send two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the full House of Representatives. Republicans accused Mayorkas of "willful and systematic" refusal to enforce immigration laws, while Mayorkas said in a letter to Rep Mark Green (R-Tennessee), the committee's chairman, that the "false accusations" against him were "politically motivated."
In an interview with MSNBC, outgoing Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado) criticized the push to impeach the first cabinet secretary in roughly 150 years, and cast doubt on the veracity of his colleague's claims that Mayorkas was somehow breaking the law.
READ MORE: Top GOP lawyer slams efforts to impeach Mayorkas: 'No current evidence that he is corrupt'
"This is a not a high crime or misdemeanor. This is not an impeachable offense. This is a policy difference," Buck said. "It's wrong, and we should not set this precedent."
Other top Republicans have similarly voiced hesitancy about proceeding with impeachment. In an essay for the Daily Beast, GOP attorney Jonathan Turley, who assisted Republicans in the impeachments of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, wrote that there was "no current evidence" proving Mayorkas' corruption. He added that disagreements over immigration policy should be settled at the ballot box in November, rather than carried out via impeachment proceedings.
"The courts have long recognized that presidents are allowed to establish priorities in the enforcement of federal laws, even when those priorities tend to lower enforcement for certain groups or areas. It is a matter of discretion," Turley wrote last month. "Mayorkas has carried out those policies. What has not been shown is conduct by the secretary that could be viewed as criminal or impeachable."
With Buck in opposition, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) now has one less vote to work with on the full House's impeachment vote. The GOP's paper-thin majority can only afford a handful of defections to pass legislation, assuming full attendance of both Democrats and Republicans.
READ MORE: 'No high crime': GOP slammed for 'completely made up accusations' on Mayorkas impeachment
Watch the video of Buck's comments below, or by clicking this link.
