Groundhog Day came early this year for the House GOP. They’re rehashing the same baseless conspiracy they peddled last year so they can pander to their MAGA base instead of addressing the issues facing Americans. First, an internal memo appears to show that House Homeland Security Committee Republicans planned to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas no matter what and despite their lack of evidence of wrongdoing. The Hill reported that the memo “committed to a timeline with little flexibility to accommodate additional promised hearings or testimony from Mayorkas himself.” Committee Republicans also gave the DHS Secretary only two weeks’ notice for an invite to a recent hearing, when cabinet secretaries are reportedly afforded a few months due to their busy schedules. Turns out the DHS Secretary had a scheduling conflict because he was *checks notes* doing his job and hosting a Mexican delegation to discuss border issues. Next, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer caved on yet another contempt threat. Faced with the embarrassing spectacle that was his contempt hearing and the fact that his witness was very much willing to testify publicly, Comer and Jordan finally took yes for an answer and scheduled a time for Hunter Biden to speak to the committee. Finally, Gossip GOP is still raging through the House. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to oust Speaker Johnson. Rep. Nancy Mace’s former chief of staff is reportedly considering running against her in a primary. Yesterday, Rep. Chip Roy said it best: “It does not matter who is sitting in the speaker’s seat or who’s got the majority. We keep doing the same stupid stuff.” We couldn’t agree more.
House Republicans Rush To Impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Without Evidence Of Wrongdoing
New York Times Reported House Republicans Were Moving Forward With Impeachment Proceedings Against DHS Secretary Mayorkas Despite Their Lack Of Evidence And Without Testimony From Him, Another Witness From The Biden Administration, Or A Single Constitutional Expert To Support Their Argument. “House Republicans wrapped up impeachment hearings against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, on Thursday, a little more than a week after the proceedings began, racing to charge him with failing to enforce the nation’s immigration laws. The Republicans are moving ahead without evidence that Mr. Mayorkas has committed high crimes or misdemeanors, the constitutional standard for impeachment, effectively seeking to remove him for immigration policies they argue have imperiled the American public. They plan to bring charges against Mr. Mayorkas as early as the end of this month, without having featured testimony from him or any other witness from the Biden administration to publicly answer for his conduct, or a single constitutional expert to support their argument that he is guilty of impeachable offenses.” [New York Times, 1/18/24]
INTERNAL MEMO REPORTEDLY SHOWED HOUSE REPUBLICANS PLAN TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS BECAUSE THEY CAN
An Internal Memo Reportedly Showed House Republicans Had Committed To A Timeline To Impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas With Little Flexibility To Accommodate Him For Additional Promised Hearings Or Testimony. “An internal Republican memo shows the House Homeland Security Committee decided last week it would mark up an impeachment resolution for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the end of the month. The memo, obtained by The Hill, came the same day the committee kicked off its series of impeachment hearings — and amid complaints from Democrats the proceedings have been rushed to back a predetermined conclusion. It appears to show Republicans have committed to a timeline with little flexibility to accommodate additional promised hearings or testimony from Mayorkas himself.” [The Hill, 1/17/24]
- A House Republican Memo Reportedly Included A Reminder For A January 18th Meeting To “Strategize For The Impeachment Articles” Related To The DHS Secretary And A Scheduled Markup For The Articles On January 31st. “His colleague on the panel, however, backed the timeline of the memo. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told reporters he expected the articles of impeachment to drop Jan. 31. The memo appears to be a document to prepare Green for a Jan. 11 meeting, prompting him to remind other GOP committee members about a Jan. 18 meeting to ‘strategize for the impeachment articles.’ ‘We have scheduled the markup for impeachment articles at 10:00 AM ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2024,’ the memo says under a section labeled as ‘announcements.’” [The Hill, 1/17/24]
- Late-December 2023: House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green Said The Committee Would Hold Three Or Four Hearings, But Had Only Held Two So Far. “In late December, Green told Fox News the committee would hold ‘three or four hearings … and then we will do a proceeding in January.’ But Thursday’s hearing, the second in the series, could be its last. The House is still set to take a weeklong recess next week, returning in the final days of January and leaving just one day for any other committee activity ahead of a mark up.” [The Hill, 1/17/24]
HOUSE GOP INVITED SECRETARY MAYORKAS TO TESTIFY WITH LITTLE NOTICE, THEN COMPLAINED WHEN HE SAID HE WAS DOING HIS JOB
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green Reportedly Only Gave DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Two Weeks’ Notice For An Invitation To Appear For A Committee Hearing And The Secretary Had A Scheduling Conflict As He Was Hosting A Delegation From Mexico To Discuss Border Issues. “Green had asked Mayorkas two weeks in advance to appear at Thursday’s hearing, but the secretary had a scheduling conflict while hosting a delegation from Mexico to discuss border issues, asking to instead find another date. The memo was drafted the day before the panel heard from Mayorkas that he would be unable to meet Jan. 18. Green earlier Wednesday fired off a letter saying that if Mayorkas could not make the following day’s hearing, he could submit written testimony instead.” [The Hill, 1/17/24]
- The Department Of Homeland Security Said Secretary Mayorkas Has Testified Before Congress 27 Times In Less Than Three Years. “DHS said Mayorkas has testified before Congress 27 times in less than three years. The committee has also not communicated with the department in the last week about alternate dates for Mayorkas to testify, a spokesperson said. ‘This is just the latest example of Committee Republicans’ sham process. It’s abundantly clear that they are not interested in hearing from Secretary Mayorkas since it doesn’t fit into their bad-faith, predetermined and unconstitutional rush to impeach him,’ spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement Wednesday.” [CBS News, 1/18/24]
- House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson Said Hearings With Cabinet Members Were Usually Schedule Months In Advance. “Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.), the top Democrat on the panel, said the little lead time in scheduling the hearing with Mayorkas was a contrast with usual efforts to schedule Cabinet officials months in advance. ‘You notified the guy last week, who, you know, has the third-largest agency in government that ‘We want you to testify next week. Oh, and by the way, we want you to be on the second panel,’ Thompson said.” [The Hill, 1/17/24]
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS STILL IN CHARGE OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS
Politico: “Johnson Says He Speaks ‘Pretty Frequently’ With Trump About Border Deal”
House Speaker Mike Johnson Said He Spoke “Pretty Frequently” About Congressional Border Negotiations. “Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday night that he had talked about congressional border negotiations with former President Donald Trump, who urged him to oppose compromising. ‘He and I have been talking about this pretty frequently,’ Johnson said on Fox News hours after meeting with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders. Johnson last spoke with Trump on Monday night, the speaker said.” [Politico, 1/17/24]
MSNBC: “Speaker Johnson Consults With Trump About Killing Immigration Deal”
James Comer And House Republicans Caved On Their Contempt Threats…Again
Politico: “House GOP Hits Pause On Hunter Biden Contempt Vote”
The Hill: “Republicans Pause Hunter Biden Contempt Push Amid New Talks For Testimony”
The Guardian: “Republicans’ Bid To Hold Hunter Biden In Contempt Appears To Be Suspended”
Daily Beast: “House GOP Presses Pause On Hunter Biden Contempt Charges”
The Independent: “House GOP Pauses Plans To Hold Hunter Biden In Contempt Of Congress”
Gossip GOP Returns To The House Republican Conference
Rep. Chip Roy: “It Does Not Matter Who Is Sitting In The Speaker’s Seat Or Who’s Got The Majority. We Keep Doing The Same Stupid Stuff.” [Twitter, Acyn, 1/18/24] (video)
Huffington Post: “‘Not Worried’: Mike Johnson Brushes Off Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Ouster Threat”
Washington Post: “Nancy Mace’s Ex-Chief Of Staff Weighs A Primary Challenge Against Her”