Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells Fox News he wouldn't resign if he were indicted.
Mayorkas, 64, made the comments to Fox News' Matt Finn during a security press conference in Las Vegas ahead of this Sunday's Super Bowl.
“I will gladly respond again. The accusations are baseless and I am focused on the work that brings me to Las Vegas today,” Mayorkas said.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to the media about an overview of public safety plans for Super Bowl week at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on February 7, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
The comments come after a failed effort by House Republicans to impeach the DHS secretary over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Republicans were forced to drop the priority after some GOP lawmakers refused to accept the party's plan.
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Tuesday's surprise roll call fell just one vote short of removing Mayorkas, halting Republicans' push to punish the Biden administration for its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
With Democrats united against the charges, Republicans needed almost every vote of their slim majority to approve the articles of impeachment.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is expected to face an impeachment vote in the House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's spokesman, Raj Shah, said they “have every intention” of reconsidering the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas “when we have the votes for their approval.”
But the next steps are uncertain. In the end, three Republicans opposed impeachment and a fourth Republican changed his vote so the measure could be reviewed. The final score was 214-216.
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Since 1876, a Cabinet secretary has not faced impeachment charges, and it is the first time a sitting secretary has faced impeachment: 148 years ago, Secretary of War William Belknap resigned just before the vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
