Impeachment is a solemn constitutional power that should not be abused or politicized. When impeachment is used in a politically motivated manner, it undermines the integrity and purpose of the process. Instead of being a tool for accountability and justice, it becomes a weapon for those who seek to damage their opponents and gain political advantage.
If you’re not already convinced that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland both deserve to be impeached, then I guess you’ve been living under a rock. But, hey, if you’re still on the fence about it, maybe this week’s clown show will make you see the light.
Merrick Garland already faces multiple allegations of abuses of power, including his handling of school board protests and treatment of concerned parents as domestic terrorists, targeting of pro-life activists, and the raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. This week, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) revealed documents showing that U.S. marshals who were tasked with safeguarding Supreme Court justices were instructed to avoid making arrests last year when activists protested outside their homes — despite Garland previously testifying to Congress to the contrary.
Flashback: Where Should Republicans Start With Impeachments Next Year?
The protests that started after the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion overturning Roe v. Wade violated a federal statute that outlaws protesting against a justice’s home with the intent of influencing a ruling. The protesters were never dispersed by law enforcement, and none were ever charged under that statute — save for one man who planned to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh but called the police on himself.
Despite Garland’s claim of being unaware of the directive that contradicted his testimony, it is unlikely that he was not informed of the orders given by his own DOJ to the marshals, given the high-profile and politically charged nature of the protests. So, in all likelihood, he lied to Congress. For that, he must be impeached.
And then there’s DHS Secretary Mayorkas. After inheriting a secure southern border, the Biden administration instituted open-border policies, creating a humanitarian and security crisis. This disaster includes a surge of illegal immigrants and fentanyl crossing the border and an unknown number of immigrant children being sex trafficked.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) laid into Mayorkas this week, blasting his record and then quizzing him on the meaning of different color-coded wristbands that migrants have been wearing when they cross the border. Mayorkas had no clue.
“You don’t know what they are? Mr. Secretary, you just testified to the American people you’re incompetent at your job,” Cruz said angrily. “I’ve been to the southern border. And if you go to the southern border, along the southern border, you see thousands of these wristbands because the illegal immigrants wear them. The drug cartels — every color corresponds to how many thousands of dollars they owe the cartels. You have turned these cartels into multibillion-dollar criminal organizations.”
Cruz then called Mayorkas “disgraceful” and told him, “the children assaulted, the children raped — they are at your feet, and if you had integrity, you would resign!”
But Mayorkas won’t resign; he’s said so in the past. Garland won’t resign, either. It is on the Republican Party to hold them accountable. The Biden administration has repeatedly shown a disregard for the law, and it is important for the Republican Party to hold it accountable for these actions. Impeachment is a powerful tool that should be used sparingly and only when the situation objectively justifies it. That time has come.