Footage of Speaker Mike Johnson being congratulated by colleagues after the House of Representatives narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has gone viral on social media.
The nine-second clip was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by the “Acyn” account, which posts footage of prominent moments in U.S. politics, where it has received over 180,000 views and 200 likes.
In the video Johnson can be seen being embraced by a Republican colleague shortly after the historic 214-213 vote while other representatives look on. Newsweek has reached out to the office of Speaker Johnson for comment outside of usual business hours. This article will be updated if he wants to comment.
Republicans accuse Mayorkas of violating his oath of office by failing to clamp down on illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexican border.
In a statement released ahead of the impeachment vote Johnson said: “For nearly a year, the House Homeland Security Committee has taken a careful and methodical approach to this investigation and the results are clear: from his first day in office, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history.
“He has undermined public trust through multiple false statements to Congress, obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, and violated his oath of office.”
In a statement published after the vote, President Joe Biden saluted Mayorkas as “an honorable public servant” adding: “He has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great.”
Earlier the president condemned the impeachment vote as a “political stunt” and “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship.”
The impeachment resolution, the first directed at a Cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years, will now proceed to the Democratic-controlled Senate, which it will almost certainly fail to pass.
Tuesday’s vote largely took place along party lines though three Republican representatives; Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California, joined 210 Democrats in voting against it.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Buck condemned his colleagues’ bid to impeach Mayorkas, commenting: “This is a terrible impeachment. It sets a terrible precedent.”
A previous Republican attempt to impeach Mayorkas on February 6 narrowly failed, with 214 votes in support against 216—including four Republican rebels—against.
Shortly after the vote House Republican Andy Biggs filed the second article of impeachment vote against Mayorkas, which succeeded on Tuesday.
Referring to the homeland security secretary in an article for Newsweek justifying this decision, Biggs wrote: “He has committed high crimes. He is a public official who has abused the public trust. The Founders permitted impeachment when a public official violated the public trust. To allow Mayorkas to continue in public service would damage the nation.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson makes a statement to the press at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 6, 2024. A video of Johnson being congratulated after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’…
Chip Somodevilla/GETTY
“Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ continued public service will inflict irrevocable damage on the nation, assuming it has not done so already. Honor should persuade his resignation; preservation of the United States demands his impeachment.”
Speaking to NBC News over the weekend, Mayorkas described the accusations against him as “baseless,” adding: “I’m focused on the work of the Department of Homeland Security. I’m inspired every single day by the remarkable work that 216,000 men and women in our department perform on behalf of the American public.”
Illegal immigration has become a hot political issue, with Donald Trump making it one of the focal points of his 2024 presidential campaign.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 124,220 encounters with suspected illegal immigrants in January, down from 249,000 the previous month.
According to a Pew Research Center investigation, an estimated 10.5 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2021, up from 10.2 million in 2019 but down on the 12.2 million figure the group estimated for 2007.
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