Rep. Mike Gallagher Speaking During Hearing - Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – House Republicans successfully voted to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday after their first vote last week failed, and one notable Wisconsin Republican voted against the effort despite calls to change his vote.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, who announced last week that he will not be seeking reelection this November, was one of three House Republicans, including Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and Clint McClintock of California, to vote against the measure, which passed by a slim 214-213 vote on Tuesday night, making Mayorkas the first cabinet member to be impeached since the 1870s.
“Impeachment not only would fail to resolve Mr. Biden’s border crisis but would also set a dangerous new precedent that would be used against future Republican administrations,” Gallagher said last week when he first voted to keep Mayorkas in office.
“The person chiefly responsible for the chaos and devastation that have unfolded at the border is Mr. Biden, not Mr. Mayorkas,” Gallagher continued. “If Mr. Mayorkas were removed, his replacement would also implement Mr. Biden’s disastrous border policies.”
Grassroots groups such as Wisconsin College Republicans, along with county parties such as the Republican Party of Oconto County in Gallagher’s district, called for Gallagher to be primaried after he assured county party officials that he would vote to impeach Mayorkas.
The grassroots of Northeast Wisconsin are NOT happy with @RepGallagher today after he voted against impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas despite what he assured district GOP leadership of several months back. This letter has been sent out to county chairs throughout WI-08.
READ… pic.twitter.com/D7XxE7tiLb
— Brett Galaszewski (@bgalsWI) February 7, 2024
Former Wisconsin Lt. Governor candidate and state Senator Roger Roth announced last week that he will be running for Gallagher’s 8th Congressional seat this November saying, “As a lifelong resident of Northeast Wisconsin, I am ready to fight back against President Joe Biden’s dangerous open border, disastrous economy, and weak foreign policy that has put Americans at risk, both at home and abroad. Now is a time for bold, new leadership to restore the America we love. We must solidify our border and strengthen our national security, our economy, and our traditional values.”
The impeachment charges accused Mayorkas of “repeatedly violating laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security” and of “making false statements to Congress” that the border is secure and closed and that DHS has operational authority over the border.
Internal government data acquired by CBS News indicated that over 300,000 migrants were processed by U.S. immigration officers along the southern border in December, which was an all-time monthly high.
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