The House of Representatives has narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, making him the first cabinet member to face impeachment in nearly 150 years.
The Republican-led chamber voted two hundred fourteen to two hundred and thirteen for the measure after the first attempt failed last week as many Republicans blame Mr Mayorkas for an unprecedented influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday called the vote a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship” and a “political stunt”.
Opponents of Mr Mayorkas accused him of not living up to his oath to “well and faithfully discharge the duties” of his office by failing to do more to secure the border.
“He has upheld the rule of law faithfully and has demonstrated a deep commitment to the values that make our nation great,” the president said.
The vote was largely divided along party lines, with 210 Democrats voting against the impeachment, along with three Republican representatives: Tom McClintock of California, Ken Buck of Colorado and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin. The three defectors also voted against the first attempt to impeach Mr Mayorkas, saying that impeaching someone who had not committed a serious crime would weaken the constitutional penalty and do little to address the crisis at the border.
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