Republican Ken Buck says he won't support Mayorkas impeachment push

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado has declared that he will not support the push to impeach Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.

"This is not a high crime or misdemeanor. It's not an impeachable offense. This is a policy difference," Buck said during an appearance on MSNBC.

He acknowledged that there is a border crisis and that "the law needs to be enforced" but warned that if the GOP pursues the impeachment of a cabinet figure, the next Republican president "will face the same scrutiny from Democrats. It's wrong," he said, adding, "We should not set this precedent."

The articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas of refusing to uphold U.S. law.

"Mayorkas breached the public trust by knowingly making false statements to Congress and the American people and avoiding lawful oversight in order to obscure the devastating consequences of his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and carry out his statutory duties. He has also breached the public trust by willfully refusing to carry out his statutory duty to control the border and guard against illegal entry, notwithstanding the calamitous consequences of his abdication of that duty" one of the articles reads, in part.

GOP lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee advanced the impeachment articles in a party-line vote, but even if Republicans manage to muster enough support to ram the articles through in a House vote, the subsequent Senate vote would essentially be guaranteed to fall short of the threshold required for conviction.

"In December 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 249,785 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border," according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "CBP's total encounters along the southwest border in December were 302,034."

Buck, who was one of the eight House Republicans who voted in favor of ousting then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership last year, is not seeking re-election. McCarthy decided to depart from Congress before the end of his term and is no longer a House lawmaker.

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