House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was forced to face the music on Wednesday after a failed impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
During a press conference, Johnson called it a “setback” but vowed to pass the articles on the “next round.”
A reporter asked Johnson, “On impeachment, what happened yesterday with the vote on Secretary Mayorkas? Why did you bring it to the floor if you didn’t have the votes and will you hold another vote to impeach him?”
Johnson responded, “Yeah on impeachment, last night was a setback but democracy is messy. We live in a time of divided government.”
“We have a razor-thin margin here and every vote counts. Sometimes when you’re counting votes and people show up when they’re not expected to be in the building, that changes the equation,” Johnson explained.
Johnson then insisted, “But listen, we have a duty and a responsibility to take care of this issue. We have to hold the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security accountable.”
“Mayorkas needs to be held accountable, the Biden Administration needs to be held accountable and we will pass those articles of impeachment, we will do it on the next round,” Johnson added.
SPEAKER JOHNSON ON FAILED MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT: “We will pass those articles of impeachment. We’ll do it on the next time round.” pic.twitter.com/kKS5T0Pk0O
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 7, 2024
The vote was ultimately derailed when U.S. House Rep Al Green (D-TX) arrived at the proceedings wearing a hospital gown with no shoes.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is expected to return next week and vote in the affirmative which would give Republicans enough votes to pass the measure.
