We want to go to the floor of the House
because it has begun the ceremony.
This is essentially a ceremony where they are walking the
articles of impeachment,
two of them against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
They've gathered outside the House chambers they're going across.
You can see the Rotunda of the Senate.
They're accompanied by the acting House clerk,
a guy named Kevin Mccumber.
The Sergeant at arms always goes with them as well.
William McFarland. And you can see that the cameras are
capturing that walk.
They're heading over to the Senate chamber doors,
and the clerk will announce that the House is informing
the Senate that they have passed a resolution appointing and
authorizing managers for the impeachment trial for Secretary Mayorkas.
Let me bring back in
NBC's Ali Vitali, NBC's Julia Aingley,
David Jolly and Robert Gibbs.
Robert Gibbs, I'm actually going to start with you as
you're watching this,
as someone who's been around politics and the highest levels
of politics for a very long time,
what do you see as you watch this?
Something that has not happened against a Cabinet secretary in
what,
something like 200 years?
Yeah, there's a couple of different things.
I mean, obviously this is the picture Republicans in Congress
in particular,
and probably President Trump wants a lot of people to
see.
I can't help but think this is the sort of
the end of the real accomplishment of this entire
proceeding, because it's not a matter of of if
Secretary Marcus is acquitted, it's just a matter of how
quickly it will happen.
The second thing is, you know,
as we've talked about the subtext of all of this,
there aren't high crimes and misdemeanors there there.
This is a policy disagreement with which one house is
impeached
a member of the cabinet.
If you were to play this out in the future,
an already slow government process in Congress would come to
a virtual standstill because you'd spend most of your time
in these types of proceedings
and in trying to find people to put their good
name up to even be a Cabinet secretary,
Ellie Vitale. Have you heard any concern among Republicans
other than those who have vocally said they would not
vote for this,
particularly over on the Senate side,
that politically this is a bad move?
Look, I think that politically the concerns are less around
this as a vehicle for
holding accountable the Biden administration on the border and more
the political concern is how this is leveraged on the
campaign trail,
specifically on immigration. Like I think the way that you
should think about this moment is as you see them
approach the Senate door there a proxy battle for the
war that Republicans have been waging against the Biden
administration's border policies for the entirety of the Biden White
House and the entire time that he's in the White
House.
So the fact that they are now standing there on
the precipice of finalizing the last step of this impeachment
push,
yes, it gives Republicans something to go back home on
the campaign trail and talk about.
I also think that Senate Republicans are really going to
try to jam vulnerable Senate Democrats who are up for
re election in red states with this issue.
But certainly I don't think that and I have yet
to meet this voter,
though maybe I will. I don't think that voters are
making their decision based on whether or not Secretary Mayorkas
is convicted or even has a trial in this building.
That being said, Republicans will try to leverage this as
the larger part of their message around immigration and the
border.
And we know that that is a really palpable and
energizing issue out on the campaign trail.
I think the thing that I see and we also
see this reflected in polling trends,
is that abortion and immigration are sort of these two
dueling issues that lead the
2024 charge. Just to put you inside the room,
now we're looking at Senator Patty Murray,
who is the is the President Pro tempore of the
Senate.
She is about to receive these articles.
You see the House members effectively waiting outside the doors
here.
And it's interesting if you look at this group of
impeachment managers who are about to enter the Senate floor
because among them is Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
She's right in the front row in a red or
seemingly pink dress,
at least according to the way I'm seeing it on
the screen.
And she has been the person who has not only
been pushing the impeachment of Mayorkas for the entire time
that Republicans have had this majority,
but she is also now the thorn in the side
of the current Speaker,
Mike Johnson, because of this lingering threat of a motion
to vacate.
Being an impeachment manager is a privilege.
The fact that she has this privilege while she's also
threatening the job of the man who gave it to
her,
is really fascinating. Palace intrigue for those of us who
cover the Capitol and a moment where
it's clear that she has cemented power within this conference
and can still openly challenge the Speaker,
it really speaks to where this House Republican Conference is
at right now.
In any other world, prior to this conference,
we would have been shocked by any of these happenings.
Even the fact that a second member this morning came
out and said that they would back a motion to
vacate against the speaker.
That would be shocking in any Congress.
But this one tumult and chaos have really been the
name of the game here.
But this is a moment where House Republicans are trying
to project unity,
trying to project the fact that they are standing
on the floor of the Senate now and coming to
the final conclusion of a Mayorkas impeachment.
That is both rare and also one of the key
planks of them having the majority in the 1st place.
Investigations and accountability. We're always going to be the name
of the game for these Republicans and that is exactly
what they're doing here as we watch
these articles now be presented on the Senate floor.
Let's listen to Congressman Mark Green
resolved that Mister Green of Tennessee,
Mr. McCall, Mr. Biggs, Mr.
Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Klein,
Mr. Guest, Mr. Garberino, Miss Green of Georgia,
Mr. Fluger, Miss Hageman and Miss Lee of Florida are
appointed managers to conduct the impeachment trial against Alejandro Nicholas
Mayorkas,
Secretary of Homeland Security. That a message be sent to
the Senate to inform the Senate of these appointments.
And that the Managers so appointed may,
in connection with the preparation and the conduct of the
trial,
exhibit the articles of impeachment to the Senate,
and take all necessary actions,
which may include the following.
One. Employing legal, clerical, and other necessary assistance,
and incurring such other expenses as may be necessary to
be paid from amounts available to the Committee on Homeland
Security
under applicable expense resolutions, or for the applicable amounts of
the House of Representatives.
Two, sending for persons in papers,
and filing with the Secretary of the Senate on the
part of the House of Representatives
Any pleadings in conjunction with or subsequent to
the exhibition of the Articles of Impeachment that the Managers
consider necessary.
With the permission of the Senate,
I will now read the articles of Impeachment.
House Resolution 863.
Resolved. That Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas,
Secretary of Homeland Security, the United States of America is
impeached for High Crimes and Misdemeanors,
and that the following articles of Impeachment be exhibited to
the United States Senate.