House Speaker Mike Johnson has recently defended a House committee’s decision to pursue the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Additionally, he has refrained from affirming President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, claiming that the Constitution was “clearly violated.”
During a heated interview on CBS’ Face the Nation, Johnson, a Republican representative from Louisiana, faced intense questioning regarding his involvement in circulating a legal brief challenging the election outcome in multiple states.
Host Margaret Brennan accused him of being an “election denier” according to CBS’ editorial standards. In response, Johnson emphasized that Biden had been “certified as the winner.”
He argued, “The argument we presented to the court, our only avenue to do so, was that the Constitution was violated in the 2020 election. It’s Article Two, Section One, of the 14th amendment, and anyone can look it up online and read it themselves.”
Johnson further explained, “The Constitution was violated during the 2020 election, not always with malicious intent, but due to various changes in election laws made by many states following the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes violated the plain language of the Constitution.”
He added, “That’s a fact. We presented this argument and these facts to the court, although they were never directly addressed. However, that was the only means to present this issue to the court squarely.”
Brennan persisted in questioning Johnson, citing former colleague Liz Cheney’s criticism. Cheney accused Johnson of playing a “destructive role” and convincing 125 other Republican members of Congress to sign an amicus brief containing false factual and constitutional claims.
In response, Johnson dismissed Cheney’s criticism, stating that he doesn’t spend much time worrying about Liz Cheney’s criticism. Liz Cheney paneled with the Democrats on the Jan. 6 select committee to make this more politicized.
Brennan also probed Johnson about the House Homeland Security Committee’s efforts to impeach Mayorkas. Johnson insisted, “Since taking office, we have repeatedly asked Secretary Mayorkas to enforce the law and do his job, but he has consistently done the opposite.”
“Our Homeland Security Committee has fulfilled its constitutional and legal responsibility to investigate the agency it oversees. We have meticulously and thoroughly documented everything over the past year,” he continued.
Johnson believed that Mayorkas was an “abject failure,” emphasizing that it was not due to incompetence.
“I believe his actions are intentional,” Johnson stated. “These are deliberate policy decisions that he has made, and there must be accountability. I can assure you that most Americans agree with us on this point.”
In summary, Speaker Mike Johnson defended the House committee’s pursuit of Mayorkas’ impeachment and refrained from acknowledging President Biden’s victory, claiming constitutional violations in the 2020 election. He also dismissed criticism from Liz Cheney and accused Mayorkas of intentional policy decisions that require accountability.
