Marjorie Taylor Greene Failed to Impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security, an Actual Thing She Tried to Do
It’s hard to keep track of all the fights Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been picking this year, but one of them just ended with egg on her face and an L on her forehead. Metaphorically.
This time, Greene came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom she has deemed unfit to serve in the position due to the Mexico border. What a Representative in Georgia, which shares no border with Mexico, nor is even adjacent to a state that shares a border with Mexico, is doing trying to impeach this man over the Mexico border, I have no idea. Let’s just assume she’s fundraising off of it while wasting everyone’s time in the process.
On Monday Greene took to the House floor to give what I’m sure she thought was an impassioned speech about why Mayorkas needed to be subjected to one of the most serious actions the House can perform. NPR has the details:
Greene in a floor speech Monday accused Mayorkas of a “pattern of conduct that is incompatible with the laws of the United States,” as she cited record numbers of illegal border crossings, an influx of drugs and his “open border policies.” The impeachment resolution accuses him of failing to adhere to his oath to “defend and secure our country and uphold the Constitution.”
Greene was able to call an Impeachment vote to the floor because of a House rule that allows any member to force a snap vote on resolutions. (Note to self: See if the House can amend that rule for a “No, not you though, Marjorie Taylor Greene” carve out.)
Impeachment, which is a grave process once reserved for only the most serious of crimes and accusations, is now a fun, kicky tool for Republicans to use simply because it’s a day ending in “y” and their fundraising dollars are down.
In case you were wondering, only one U.S. cabinet official has ever been Impeached, and that was William Belknap in 1876 after a House investigation determined he had received kickbacks while doling out government contracts. Mayorkas, meanwhile, has—checks notes—performed the job the President appointed him to in a way Greene doesn’t think is draconian enough. One of these things is not like the other.
So, now that we have the setup, let’s get to the punchline because make no mistake, Greene is always a joke. See, anyone can call a snap vote, but there are ways around a forced Impeachment vote, as she found out:
Eight Republicans joined with Democrats to vote 209-201 to send her resolution to committees for possible consideration, like any other bill. They are under no obligation to do anything.
NPR
That’s right, somehow eight Republicans realized this was bonkers banana nonsense and voted with the Dems to send Greene’s resolution on impeachment, where it will surely die a slow, and hopefully painful, death. No one will miss it, and we’ll soon forget it ever existed.
Now, for someone who had any shame, or understanding of how the U.S. government functions, this would be a devastating burn. However, this is Marjorie Taylor Greene we’re talking about. I doubt any of that registered for her. She’s the worst! In fact, she said she’ll try it again!
After the vote, Greene said she may try again to push an impeachment vote to the floor and argued her colleagues would face pressure from voters to impeach Mayorkas.
“Many Republicans, I would argue, are really tone deaf to their constituents and to their voters,” she said
NPR
I don’t know about you, but I had no idea Mayorkas existed before this week, so I’m pretty confident people who vote for election deniers and people whose whereabouts are still unknown to the public on January 6, 2021, also have no idea who Mayorkas is.
Oh, in case it wasn’t obvious, Greene’s resolution came from a place of racism, too.
Greene’s resolution also calls the influx of migrants an “invasion.” Immigration advocates denounced her use of the term, saying it showed she was acting based on the racist “great replacement theory,” which purports that there is a plot to diminish the influence of white people in society.
NPR
In true cartoon villain fashion, I know we haven’t seen the last of her, on this issue, or in general. She loves the spotlight too much. My only comfort is she’s terrible at governing, so I’m sure the Democrats have procedural moves to keep making Greene spin her wheels. At least it will be fun to laugh at her.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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