Bret Baier Straight Up Asks Mayorkas, ‘If You’re Impeached, Would You Step Down?’
Fox News host Bret Baier peppered Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas with questions on Thursday’s Special Report. At one point Baier asked about the House Homeland Security Committee opening up a formal impeachment inquiry against him this week.
Republicans have long criticized Mayorkas for his handling of the southern border and illegal immigration. Mayorkas told Baier that his department needs more funding so it can hire more Border Patrol agents and acquire the tools needed to help stem the flow of migrants and process them more quickly once they arrive.
“If you’re impeached, would you step down you?” Baier asked near the end of the interview. “You’d be the first cabinet member to be impeached by the House in 148 years.”
“Bret, I lead 260 [sic, 260,000] incredibly dedicated and talented men and women of the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas replied. “I will continue to lead them in advancing the mission of protecting the American people. That’s what we do in the area of immigration, the area of cybersecurity, in our fight against human trafficking, in saving communities devastated by extreme weather events. We do so much for the American people and I’m incredibly proud to do it.”
Baier then pivoted to Vice President Kamala Harris, who once upon a time was chosen by President Joe Biden to lead the effort to address the problems at the southern border.
“Shortly after taking office, President Biden tapped Vice President Harris to address the root causes of migration,” the host said. “How specifically has the vice president helped in your efforts to keep the border safe?”
“The vice president has raised more than $3 billion of investments in some of the countries of origin, specifically those in Central America,” Mayorkas responded. “That is a long-term solution that we remain dedicated to. But in the meantime, we are enforcing vigorously our country’s immigration laws and working to fix them in a fundamentally broken system.”
The last – and only – cabinet secretary to be impeached was Secretary of War William Belknap, in 1876. Belknap and his wife were accused of taking kickbacks from a military contractor. He resigned his position, but the House still impeached him. However, the Senate failed to muster the two-thirds needed to convict. Belknap was criminally charged in federal court, but his case was ultimately dismissed.
Watch above via Fox News.
