Michael Chertoff: End Mayorkas 'Impeachment Charade'

As the House GOP works to oust Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff called on Republicans in the lower chamber to drop the "impeachment charade."

In an opinion piece published Sunday in The Wall Street Journal, Chertoff contended that Republican lawmakers have failed to make their case against the Biden administration Cabinet member.

"As homeland security secretary under President George W. Bush — and as a former federal judge, U.S. attorney and assistant attorney general — I can say with confidence that, for all the investigating that the House Committee on Homeland Security has done, they have failed to put forth evidence that meets the bar," Chertoff wrote.

"This is why Republicans aren't seeking to hold Mr. Mayorkas to the Constitution's 'high crimes and misdemeanors' standard for impeachment," he continued. "They make the unsupported argument that he is derelict in his duty."

Released on Sunday, the articles of impeachment to remove Mayorkas from his position accuse him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" that amount to a "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" on immigration and a "breach of the public trust." The House Homeland Security Committee is slated to vote Tuesday on the articles, and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said the full House will move forward with a vote as soon as possible after that.

Chertoff isn't the only Republican skeptical of the House GOP's effort to force Mayorkas out.

Conservative pundit and legal scholar Jonathan Turley reiterated his belief Monday that House Republicans lack sufficient evidence to impeach Mayorkas.

"I don't think they have established any of those bases for impeachment," Turley said during an appearance on Fox News. "The fact is, impeachment is not for being a bad Cabinet member or even a bad person. It is a very narrow standard."

"I just don't believe that they have a cognizable basis here for impeachment," he added, pointing out that lawmakers and constitutional experts have warned for some time about the weaponization of the impeachment process against government officials.

In his column, Chertoff contradicted Republicans' claims of a border crisis, saying that, under Mayorkas, "the majority of migrants encountered at the Southwest border have been removed, returned, or expelled."

"In fact, since the pandemic-era Title 42 policy was ended last May, DHS removed, returned or expelled more noncitizens than in any five-month period in the past 10 years," he wrote. "The truth is that our national immigration system is outdated, and DHS leaders under both parties have done their best to manage our immigration system without adequate congressional support."

He then urged Republicans in the House to "drop this impeachment charade and work with Mr. Mayorkas to deliver for the American people."

• Ric Grenell to Newsmax: 'About Time' Mayorkas Is Impeached
• Rep. Weber to Newsmax: Mayorkas 'Abdicated His Duty'