Mayorkas Admits Border ‘Crisis’ to Congress for First Time
The House is expected to transfer articles of impeachment against Mayorkas to the Senate next week.
Month: April 2024
GOP pressuring vulnerable Senate Democrats on Mayorkas impeachment trial
Congressional Republicans and GOP candidates are bearing down on at-risk Senate Democrats in hopes to convince them against derailing the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas deflects when asked if ‘above 85%’ of illegal immigrants are released into the US
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas deflected questioning Wednesday on Capitol Hill when he was asked about a Fox News Digital article stating that he has admitted to Border Patrol agents that the current rate of release for illegal immigrants apprehended at the U.S. border is "above 85%."
Rep. Michael Guest was grilling Mayorkas about the statistic during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2025 budget request.
"It was reported in January of this year that at a meeting with Border Patrol agents that you said that the current rate of release for illegal immigrants apprehended at the southwest border is above 85%. One, did that conversation take place and two, is that number accurate?" the Republican from Mississippi asked Mayorkas.
"Congressman, I'm not familiar with that number and I'm not certain to which conversation you refer. I have visited the border so very many times," he responded. "Perhaps some additional details would guide me in responding your question accurately."
MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES
Guest then read Mayorkas the opening paragraphs from the Fox News Digital report, which said he "made the remarks when meeting privately with agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to three Border Patrol sources who were in the room and heard the remarks themselves."
"Congressman, I'll be pleased to provide you with the data points, and certainly I don't view that article as a transcript," Mayorkas said.
GOP PLANS TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT IF DEMOCRATS TABLE MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
"So you're not disputing this article? You're not saying that that number is artificially high? You're just saying at this point that you don't have that number here to either admit or deny the 85% that it was alleged there in the article?" Guest then asked.
"I cannot confirm, and I will do so," Mayorkas said.
The exchange comes as Republican senators are gearing up to prevent all legislative business in the Senate from going forward if they don't get a full trial into the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas. The House voted to impeach Mayorkas in February.
Five sources told Fox News Digital that roughly a dozen GOP senators have been planning for more than a week to obstruct legislative proceedings and regular business in the Senate if, at a minimum, points of order are not agreed to in the impeachment trial of Mayorkas when the House impeachment managers deliver the articles to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Case for impeachment of Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold fails
Republicans claimed Jena Griswold denied former President Donald Trump due process when she used her position to try to disqualify him from Colorado's primary ballot.
GOP plans to grind Senate to a halt if Democrats table Mayorkas impeachment trial
EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators are gearing up to prevent all legislative business in the Senate from going forward if they don't get a full trial into the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Five sources told Fox News Digital that roughly a dozen GOP senators have been planning for more than a week to obstruct legislative proceedings and regular business in the Senate if, at a minimum, points of order are not agreed to in the impeachment trial of Mayorkas when the House impeachment managers deliver the articles to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
"The Senate runs on unanimous consent," a Senate Republican aide familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital. "Any one senator can do that."
READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL
The aide revealed that the conversation has been ongoing since last week.
A second Senate Republican aide also confirmed that several senators are voicing support for slowing or even stopping legislative business if impeachment is tabled.
GOP SENATORS CONVINCE SPEAKER JOHNSON TO DELAY MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE DELIVERY
Schumer's office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
A top Senate Republican source shared that this type of holdup is always possible in the upper chamber, noting that one senator can choose to object at any time. However, they said a halt of this nature was going to be more likely if the articles were delivered this week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., decided to wait until next week to deliver the articles to the Senate after facing pressure from GOP senators who did not want the impeachment trial to take place ahead of a weekend when most of the body would be preparing to fly back to their states.
But, the source noted, if Schumer and the Democrats seek to table the impeachment trial next week, there would be nothing stopping Republican senators from objecting to basic procedural measures.
The entire conference's appetite for such acts of protest isn't clear.
A source familiar with a Republican Senate lunch at the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Tuesday told Fox News Digital the discussion also took place there. It had the support of numerous senators, the source said, and no one dismissed the idea.
The Senate Republican aide gave examples of what such a Senate standstill would look like, pointing to motions to adjourn, recess and proceed to executive business, as well as objections to regular business such as wrapups, forcing the Senate to go through lengthy procedural actions such as reading from the journal and recapping the previous day's business. The senators could also object to various requests to move forward on items with unanimous consent, including legislation, schedule items and adjourning.
The plan from conservative Republicans would be meant as a mechanism to bring Schumer and Democrats to the negotiating table on the Mayorkas impeachment trial.
The White House Counsel's office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
DHS referred Fox News Digital to a previous statement following the House's passage of the impeachment articles.
"Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country. Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe," DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said at the time.
WATCH LIVE: DHS Secretary Mayorkas testifies on budget in House hearing
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will testify before the House Appropriations committee on the department's budget, as Congress waits for House Speaker Mike Johnson to deliver articles of impeachment to the Senate against the secretary.
Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Arizona embraces the culture wars on the losing side
Abortion Jumps to the Center of Arizona’s Key 2024 Races
Democrats quickly aimed to capitalize on a ruling by the state’s highest court upholding an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions.
Democrats seized on a ruling on Tuesday by Arizona’s highest court upholding an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions, setting up a fierce political fight over the issue that is likely to dominate the presidential election and a pivotal Senate race in a crucial battleground state.
Even though the court put its ruling on hold for now, President Biden and his campaign moved quickly to blame former President Donald J. Trump for the loss of abortion rights, noting that he has taken credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned a constitutional right to abortion. Just a day earlier, Mr. Trump had sought to defang what has become a toxic issue for Republicans by saying that abortion restrictions should be decided by the states and their voters.
Remember, abortion is fading in saliency as an issue, say umpteen anonymous male Republican consultants.
Dan Balz/Washington Post:
The Arizona Supreme Court just upended Trump’s gambit on abortion
On Monday, Trump declined to support a national abortion ban, seeking to neutralize the political issue. A day later, Arizona’s ban gave it new life.
On Monday, the former president declined to support any new national law setting limits on abortions. Going against the views of many abortion opponents in his Republican Party, Trump was looking for a way to neutralize or at least muddy a galvanizing issue that has fueled Democratic victories for nearly two years. He hoped to keep it mostly out of the conversation ahead of the November elections.
On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court showed just how difficult it will be to do that. The court resurrected an 1864 law that bans nearly all abortions, except to save the life of the mother. The law also imposes penalties on abortion providers.
Trump had said let the states handle the issue. The Arizona court showed the full implications of that states’ rights strategy.
Or, if you will, Arizona Supreme Court destroys news organization plans to declare the abortion issue neutralized (it wasn’t).
Marc A Caputo/ The Bulwark:
MAGA Takes Aim at RFK Jr.: ‘Radical F—ing Kennedy’
They turned on him overnight once they realized he’d be a threat to Trump and not only to Biden.
TRUMP ADVISERS QUIETLY acknowledge they and the right helped build up RFK Jr., especially after the pandemic when Kennedy’s anti-vaccine activism gained broader attention and support among conservatives.
“For more than two years, Kennedy was on more conservative media than any of the Republicans who ran for president, so he’s partly a monster of our own making,” said one adviser in Trump’s orbit. “But the same conservative media apparatus that built him up is starting to tear him down. It’s easy. He’s a liberal.”
That cocksure sentiment pervades Trump’s campaign, where they view Kennedy more as an opportunity than a danger.
…
Matt Bennett, executive vice president of Third Way, said Kennedy has benefited from his famous last name, his savvy social media use, and his lack of a political record. Bennett doesn’t think the candidate will be able to withstand the scrutiny that’s coming now that the threat he represents has become clearer.
“Kennedy is in for a rough ride. We need to make sure lower-information voters don’t somehow think, ‘Oh, it’s his dad.’ Or that he’s a safe pair of hands,” Bennett said. “He’s a lunatic. He lies. He’s a bad person.”
Will Bunch/Philadelphia Inquirer:
Is Team Trump meddling in the Middle East?
This weekend, the endless gusher of petrodollars from Riyadh left their oily mark on the dim jewel of Trump’s fast-fading empire, the Trump National Doral course outside of Miami. There, the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour brought yet another televised and star-studded tournament to a resort owned by the 45th president’s business arm.
We don’t how much the LIV tour — largely a creation of the massive sovereign wealth fund controlled by the Saudi dictator Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) — paid the Trump Organization for the three-day event. The LIV people insist the money is nominal, but no one would argue that the widely seen tournaments are propping up Trump’s coffers at a time when his hotel brand is in the loo, and the established PGA golf tour is avoiding the ex-POTUS and his 88 felony charges.
David Gilbert/Wired:
Inside the Election Denial Groups Planning to Disrupt November
Groups like True the Vote and Michael Flynn’s America Project want to mobilize thousands of Trump supporters by pushing baseless claims about election fraud—and are rolling out new technology to fast-track their efforts.As the most consequential presidential election in a generation looms in the United States, get-out-the-vote efforts across the country are more important than ever. But multiple far-right activist groups with ties to former president Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee are mobilizing their supporters in earnest, drawing on one baseline belief: Elections in the US are rigged, and citizens need to do something about it.
All the evidence states otherwise. But in recent weeks, these groups have held training sessions about how to organize on a hyperlocal level to monitor polling places and drop boxes, challenge voter registrations en masse, and intimidate and harass voters and election officials. And some are preparing to roll out new technology to fast-track all of these efforts: One of the groups claims they’re launching a new platform for checking voter rolls that contains billions of “data elements” on every single US citizen.
Jennifer Rubin/Washington Post:
Don’t overlook these five aspects of Trump’s N.Y. trial
Trump’s first impeachment seems like ancient history. But House impeachment investigators interviewed Hope Hicks and Michael Cohen, and delved into the facts concerning payment to women to silence them before the 2016 election. The hush money scheme was grist for impeachment because procuring office by corrupt means can be a sufficient basis for impeachment.
Philip Bump/Washington Post:
How much time and money will the GOP waste chasing imaginary election fraud?
Fox host Maria Bartiromo has proved to be one of the most credulous members of the right-wing media universe. This was understood by her own employers in 2020 when one executive warned another that she had “GOP conspiracy theorists in her ear and they use her for their message sometimes.” In the wake of the 2020 election, she flirted with the most ridiculous fraud theories then circulating; more recently, she was a constant promoter of the discredited idea that Joe Biden had been bribed by a Ukrainian businessman.
Yet she also remains one of the most prominent voices on Fox News and Fox Business. One need not engage in conspiracy-theorizing to guess some reasons for that.
And finally, the exclamation point on this amazing college hoops season.
Candace Buckner/Washington Post:
Connecticut unlocked the overwhelming beauty of a team game
More than other team sports, basketball thrives on individual talent. Singular stars fuel intrigue. They make us sit up and pay attention. And the superstars make us believe that one vs. five maintains pretty good odds. Then a night such as Monday comes along and wrecks the belief that you need a superstar to win.
Somewhere in the Purdue locker room sat [Perdue’s center Zach] Edey, his season having ended in disappointment, with a lonely shower awaiting. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Huskies were busy changing clothes on the court. Their new shirts read: “2024 Men’s Basketball National CHAMPS” — that word more prominent than the others.
Cliff Schecter covers General Mark Milley’s opinion of Donald Trump:
Dem senators voice concerns over Israel war status as Biden attempts ‘challenging’ balance with progressives
Senate Democrats expressed concerns over the status of the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza Tuesday as President Biden looks to strike a balance between supporting the U.S. ally and addressing concerns of progressives and Arab and Muslim voters who have made their displeasure known amid the conflict.
"I don't support a cease-fire. I've been very clear about that," Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
In a call last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an airstrike from the country that killed seven workers delivering food and aid in Gaza, Biden called for an immediate cease-fire to address the need to get aid to the war zone.
Biden's move to endorse a cease-fire comes as pro-Palestinian protests have plagued his campaign events in recent months.
PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS' PAINTED RED HANDS A 'SYMBOL' ROOTED IN 'CRAZE TO SEE BLOOD': EXPERT
"There's been far too much civilian death right now," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said of the situation in Gaza. However, he credited Biden with increasing pressure on Israel with "an uptick in humanitarian deliveries in the last few days."
Criticism over Biden's backing of ally Israel has ramped up in recent days, as reports emerged of his anger and frustration over the country's killing of several aid workers in Gaza. Last month, the U.S. allowed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire to pass, breaking from a streak of vetoing similar measures.
Netanyahu slammed the move, claiming at the time the "United States has abandoned its policy in the U.N. today. Just a few days ago, it supported a Security Council resolution that linked a call for a cease-fire to the release of hostages."
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SHUT DOWN SENATE CAFETERIA; AROUND 50 ARRESTED
The prime minister attributed his cancellation of an Israeli delegation's trip to Washington, D.C., to the resolution's passage.
Just two weeks after Biden's administration allowed the U.N. resolution to pass, Vice President Kamala Harris met with families of American hostages held in Gaza Tuesday. According to a readout from Harris' office on the meeting, she updated the families on U.S. efforts to bring home all hostages and reaching an agreement for an immediate cease-fire.
A White House official shared that efforts are ongoing to secure the release of more hostages and noted that the passed U.N. resolution additionally called for the release of hostages. However, the resolution did not include condemnation of Hamas, which prompted criticism against the Biden administration.
At a Senate Republican lunch Tuesday, GOP conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., circulated a document to his colleagues, listing "27 times Biden & Democrats abandoned Israel" since the initial Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
GOP SENATORS CONVINCE SPEAKER JOHNSON TO DELAY MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE DELIVERY
The document, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, listed events, including the Biden administration urging Israel to end a ground campaign in Gaza last year and Senate Democrats in November voting against a stand-alone Israel aid bill that did not tie the assistance to aid for Ukraine.
"President Biden is demanding a highly damaging, unconditional cease-fire. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are equating Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hamas. These unprecedented actions undermine Israel’s mission to free the hostages and eliminate Hamas," Barrasso told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
Asked how Biden was handling support for Israel at the same time as addressing concerns for Palestinian civilians, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said, "It's a challenging situation."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., avoided criticizing Biden for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, instead telling Fox News Digital, "I lay blame with the Netanyahu government that has created a humanitarian disaster and doing everything possible every single day to make it worse."
DESPERATE ZELENSKYY WARNS 'UKRAINE WILL LOSE THE WAR' IF CONGRESS DOES NOT SEND MORE AID
While Fetterman noted his disagreement with Biden on a cease-fire, he said, "Overall, I think the president has remained to stand with Israel.
"But we need to allow Israel to finish off and go after Hamas."
While Democrats were hesitant to address Biden's policy toward Israel directly, Senate Republicans were more than willing to slam the president for making decisions on the war based on "political calculus," as Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, claimed.
"I think it's really about trying to appease the increasingly vocal, frankly, pro-Hamas wing, I guess, of their party," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. "I mean, they must think that they have a lot of votes they need to open for them."
According to Vance, Biden's posture on the war is "completely inconsistent" today with what it was "two months ago."
"And they're doing it because they're worried about losing certain populations in Michigan," Vance claimed, likely referencing the significant Arab and Muslim populations in the state.
Since the onset of the war in Gaza, Biden's 2024 re-election campaign has faced obstacles among Muslim supporters, who have claimed they are willing to turn their backs on him.
His campaign has also seen efforts rebuffed by Muslim leaders who have on multiple occasions refused to meet with the president's team in campaign or official capacities.
The Biden campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., blasted Biden's response to Israel's strike that killed seven aid workers, claiming it was held to a "different standard."
"Why don't they tell us who got held accountable for the 13 people, warriors killed at the Kabul airport?" he asked, referencing the deaths of several service men and women during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, overseen by Biden.
Making a similar point, Fetterman explained, "I mean, terrible, terrible things often happen in a war situation, and we really cannot forget that this is all because of Hamas." The senator referenced a U.S. drone strike in 2021 that mistakenly killed a number of Afghani civilians in a car.
Spaced out: Sheila Jackson Lee tells Texas students ‘planet’ moon is ‘made up of mostly of gases’
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, misinformed a group of high school students in Houston that the moon is a "planet" that is "made up mostly of gases."
Jackson Lee, who once led the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee, made several false statements that stunned a crowd of teenagers at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston during Monday’s solar eclipse.
"You’ve heard the word ‘full moon,’" Jackson Lee told the students who were with her on a sports field before the eclipse. "Sometimes, you need to take the opportunity just to come out and see a full moon is that complete-rounded circle, which is made up mostly of gases. And that’s why the question is why or how could we as humans live on the moon? Are the gases such that we could do that?"
The congressional representative continued, saying, "The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun. The moon is more manageable."
IF YOU MISSED THE FUN, LOOK OUT FOR THESE UPCOMING TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES
Jackson Lee continued making several statements that were questionable. In one statement, she told students the moon not only reflects the sun’s light but also emits "unique light and energy."
"You have the energy of the moon at night," Jackson Lee said.
In another statement, she misstated how solar eclipses happen.
TEXAS COUPLE SAYS 'I DO' IN 100% TOTALITY DURING SOLAR ECLIPSE: 'JUST MAGICAL'
"What you will see today, will be the closest distance that the moon has ever been in the last 20 years, which means that’s why they will shut the light down, because they will be close to the earth, which is an amazing experience," Jackson Lee said in a live video clip posted to her X account. "You will be able to tell because there will be complete darkness."
In the video, Jackson Lee tells students not to look at the sun directly, warning them that the eclipse was a serious matter and looking into the sun directly could mean students not being able to leave on their own, but instead, will be walked out while holding their arm.
In the clip, Jackson Lee is seen struggling to put the eclipse glasses on her face as students moved toward the sports field to watch the celestial event.
CHARLES BARKLEY MOCKS ‘LOSERS’ WATCHING TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: ‘WE’VE ALL SEEN DARKNESS BEFORE'
She also spoke about being able to live and survive on the moon.
"I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the moon," Jackson Lee added. "That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly."
On Tuesday, Jackson Lee turned to X to clear up statements she made to students after RNC Research shared a video clip of her misinforming students.
"Obviously, I misspoke and meant to say the sun, but as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters," she said. "What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity."
Jackson Lee continued and said Republicans should focus on prenatal care, affordable housing and reduction of student loan debt.
"Also, I care more about these children who would not have experienced the eclipse in this enthusiastic manner," she added. "And I care more about protecting the rights of women and children than engaging in this kind of senseless dialogue.
This is not the first time Jackson Lee has made questionable statements regarding science, let alone turned the misstep into a political issue.
In 1997, Jackson Lee visited NASA and demanded to see the flag that astronauts planted on Mars. She was gently advised that no human being had ever been to Mars because it was so far away.
She then went into a rage and accused the space agency of racism before pointing out her membership on the House science committee.
Jackson Lee also claimed during a floor speech in March 2014 that the U.S. Constitution was 400 years old.
While speaking in opposition to a Republican-backed proposal, she gave a brief history lesson. During the lesson, she thanked the GOP for "giving us an opportunity to have a deliberative constitutional discussion that reinforces the sanctity of this nation and how well it is that we have lasted some 400 years operating under a Constitution that clearly defines what is constitutional and what is not."
Jackson Lee was off by nearly 200 years old, as the Constitution was adopted in 1787.
Jackson Lee also has a history of being criticized as one of the "meanest" members of Congress to work for.
In a 2011 Daily Caller report, several former staff members accused Jackson Lee of using demeaning language and name-calling when addressing them.
"You stupid motherf----r," one former employee said Jackson Lee "constantly" called him, while another described an occasion her parents were visiting from out of town and overheard Jackson Lee call her a "stupid idiot" because of a scheduling change. "Don’t be a moron, you foolish girl," the former aide alleged Jackson Lee told her.
Others said she often forced them to work long hours, even into the early hours of the morning, and that she demanded to be driven by staff everywhere she went, regardless of how short the distance.
Brandon Gillespie of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Committee discourages impeachment of Vermont sheriff accused of kicking suspect
A special legislative committee recommended against impeachment Tuesday of a Vermont sheriff charged with assault for kicking a shackled prisoner but said the sheriff is doing a disservice by remaining in office.
A resolution to be introduced in the House by committee members on Wednesday urges Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore to resign "for the good of the people of Franklin County."
"While the Committee is not recommending articles of impeachment for Sheriff Grismore, they made it clear that Mr. Grismore remaining in office is a detriment to the citizens of Franklin County," House Speaker Jill Krowinski said in a statement. "The Committee heard from many individuals, and while the report lays out a list of concerning actions that are completely unacceptable of an elected official, it does not meet the high bar for impeachment."
VERMONT SHERIFF ACCUSED OF KICKING SHACKLED PRISONER PRESSURED TO RESIGN
Grismore did not immediately return an email seeking comment. He told WCAX-TV that the recommendation not to pursue articles of impeachment is a vindication of what he knew all along.
Grismore was elected sheriff in November 2022, a few months after he was fired from his position as a captain in the sheriff’s department for kicking a shackled prisoner. He pleaded not guilty to a simple assault charge.
Grismore was the only candidate on the ballot after winning both the Republican and Democratic nominations in the Aug. 9, 2022, primary. Just before he took office in February 2023, state police said they were investigating the finances of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and Grismore.
In December, the Vermont Criminal Justice Council found that he violated the state’s use of force policy and voted 15-1 that he permanently lose his law enforcement certification, which means he is unable to enforce the law in Vermont. A special legislative committee was formed last May to investigate possible impeachment.
The committee said in the report released Tuesday that it believes it's important for a sheriff to be able to fulfill law enforcement duties and should get ongoing law enforcement training, which is not available to a decertified officer. It also said it believes that a sheriff should show and uphold "the highest standards of honesty, integrity, conduct, and service."
"Through his conduct prior to taking office and his continued insistence that his use of force was appropriate, Mr. Grismore demonstrates none of these," the committee said.