Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) brought plenty of sound and fury to the impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week, even attempting to substitute President Biden’s “policy” as the culprit for the problems at the U.S. Southern border, a switch that — if a policy were impeachable — she granted might let Mayorkas off the hook.
Marjorie Taylor Greene relentlessly harasses and demeans a poor witness pic.twitter.com/WxCyVVGY1p
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 18, 2024
The White House continued to characterize the GOP House investigations and impeachment attempts — of the Biden family and Mayorkas — as efforts to distract and alter the national narrative through innuendo. Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre again asserted that “negotiations,” rather than finger-pointing were the path to border solutions and that Republicans engaged in the latter aren’t serious about solving the problem, only in milking it for political gain.
“Our position is that we need to do more at the border,” Jean-Pierre replied to a reporter’s question. “We have to do more at the border. That’s why these negotiations are currently happening. That’s our position.”
But Jean-Pierre made clear the White House’s position on the congressional sideshow produced by Greene and her MAGA colleagues, which targets Mayorkas and resists negotiations.
.@JacquiHeinrich: “And, is it the position of the administration that the efforts to impeach Secretary Mayorkas are unconstitutional?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 19, 2024
KJP: “What we believe is that what House Republicans are doing is playing political games. That’s what we believe. And they’re not doing their… pic.twitter.com/QxT1TbkxsP
“What we believe,” Jean-Pierre said, “is that what House Republicans are doing is playing political games. That’s what we believe. And they’re not doing their jobs — the jobs that the American people want them to be doing. And let’s not forget. They won’t even let Secretary Mayorkas even testify. They want to impeach him, but they’re not even allowing him to testify. And, so, it is shameful…It is shameful…American people want to see Republicans and Democrats working together to deliver for them, to address the issues that matter.”
House Republicans are refusing to allow Mayorkas to testify.
— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) January 18, 2024
They held two quick “impeachment hearings” that were just theater to push rightwing messaging, not a valid impeachment process.
They won’t acknowledge constitutional scholars who say this effort is unconstitutional. https://t.co/WQ4heGefr3
Asked about a memo White House spokesperson Ian Sams put out that addressed the constitutionality of the Mayorkas impeachment proceedings, Jean-Pierre reiterated her objection to a hearing where the defendant is not allowed to testify: “I’ve been very clear on how we feel and what we think about these impeachment proceedings and a proceeding that is not even allowing Secretary Mayorkas to testify.”
.jpg){kind=link}