'Opening a door we don't want to open': Republican warns party of impeachment blowback
February 01, 2024
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) confirmed to MSNBC Thursday that he's a "no" vote on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — and he expects he won't be alone.
With the narrow majority in the House, Republicans may not have the votes to impeach Mayorkas — and they're not expected to have the votes to remove him in the Senate.
Buck warned that it's setting Republicans up for problems in the future.
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"We are opening a door as Republicans that we don't want to open," he explained. "The next president who is a Republican will face the same scrutiny from Democrats. It's wrong, and we should not set this precedent."
"This is not a high crime or misdemeanor," Buck continued, citing the constitutional requirements for impeachment. "It's not an impeachable offense. This is a policy difference. Let me say there is a crisis on the border. The law needs to be enforced."
He clarified that he was not changing his mind on the vote. He also voted against Donald Trump's two impeachments.
"I have met with Chairman [Mark] Green (R-TN) from the Homeland Security committee, the staff, outside constitutional experts, and former members of Congress about what this would mean for Congress," Buck explained. "I believe I have done my due diligence, and I am standing firm at this point on this. If there's some new evidence, I'm happy to look at it, but I don't believe there will be."
He wouldn't reveal his conversations with other Republican lawmakers, but indicated there were two or three, other than himself, who would vote "no." Depending on which lawmakers are out for illness or other issues, the GOP could lose the vote with those numbers.
"I have concerns about the optics," he continued. "I have concerns about the reality that any law that would help an executive branch official deal with the crisis on the border should be enacted."
See the full interview in the video below or at the link here.
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