CBS News host Margaret Brennan sparred with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) on Sunday over GOP efforts to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for carrying out Joe Biden’s open border policies.
Brennan on “Face the Nation” ran interference for Mayorkas, admonishing Johnson for trying to impeach him rather than seek his help in addressing the border.
“So these- but these are very, very real and immediate issues, what you’re describing, it is a crisis. So don’t you need the help of the Homeland Security Secretary, instead of trying to impeach him?” Brennan asked Johnson.
Johnson pointed out that contrary to Brennan’s characterization, Mayorkas is actually refusing to enforce the law and is intentionally keeping the border open.
“We’ve been asking…Secretary Mayorkas since he took office, to enforce the law, to do his job, and he’s done exactly the opposite. He’s testified untruthfully before Congress, repeatedly,” Johnson responded.
Brennan again tried defending Mayorkas, asking Johnson why he should direct Congressional resources to impeach him.
“But why focus the congressional resources on going ahead with an impeachment when they could be dealing with the actual issues here on the ground?” she asked.
“Our…Homeland Security Committee has done its job,” Johnson responded. “They have a constitutional responsibility, a legal responsibility, to investigate what is happening with the agency that they have oversight for. They’ve done that for a year, very methodically, carefully, in detail. And they’ve documented all that.”
“I believe Secretary Mayorkas is an abject failure, but it’s not because of incompetence. I believe he has done this intentionally,” he continued. “I think these are intentional policy decisions that he’s made. And I think there must be accountability for that. And I can tell you, the vast majority of Americans agree with us on that point.”
Brennan then asked why Republicans won’t just negotiate with Mayorkas, omitting the fact Mayorkas continually refuses to enforce current laws on the books.
“Secretary Mayorkas is not a good-faith negotiating partner,” Johnson answered. “He is unwilling to enforce existing federal law. Why would we believe that he would do any new provision? He’s lied to Congress repeatedly. He’s lied to me personally, under oath.”
Again, Brennan interjected to defend Mayorkas, saying his remarks about a secure border is a “semantic argument.”
“No, no, that’s a matter of objective fact. And he has lied to Congress repeatedly,” Johnson said.
Brennan responded, “Well, that is a matter of semantics in terms of people being apprehended, as you know, coming here, and once they’re apprehended, then say they want to claim asylum.”
Johnson pointed out that Mayorkas has been to the border and seen what the House Homeland Security Committee has seen, a collapsed border with a record number of migrants illegally crossing.
“Secretary Mayorkas has been to the border, he’s talked to the same officials that we have. He knows that this border is not secure. No one here believes it,” Johnson said.
Contrary to Mayorkas and Brennan’s gaslighting that the border is “secure”, December saw over 300,000 illegal crossings, the highest number of illegal migrant border crossings in U.S. history.
The border crisis has become so dire that even Democrat leaders in so-called “sanctuary cities” across the country are sounding the alarm about the unprecedented migrant influx.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) says the illegal immigration crisis is “unsustainable” and “a huge strain” as tens of thousands of illegal immigrants — many whose court dates aren’t until 2029 — arrive in the Democrat-run city pic.twitter.com/n4bUDuI7Bc
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 7, 2024
Additionally, the federal government at the direction of DHS has only worked to stymie states like Texas working to secure the border with additional wire fencing, national guard, and more stringent deportation enforcement laws.
“Would you accept the extra [border] funding on the condition that the funds could ONLY be used for detention and removal [of illegal immigrants] — but not release into the country?”
MAYORKAS: No pic.twitter.com/4mtRVwL6K7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 4, 2024
Watch the full interview:
