'This is a stunt': Ex-RNC chair blasts GOP’s latest effort to oust DHS secretary over 'policy disagreement'

During Sunday's episode of MSNBC's The Weekend, co-hosts Alicia Menendez and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele spoke with US Rep. Nanette Barragán about the House GOP's latest impeachment "stunt" and the reasons behind it.

"House Republicans have just unveiled two articles of impeachment they're bringing against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas," Menendez reported. "The first is what they focused on what they call a willful and systemic refusal to comply with a law. The second is focused on what they are alleging is a breach of public trust. The reason? Republicans disagree with how the secretary is handling the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. In response, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement. quote, 'This farce of an impeachment is a distraction from other vital national security priorities, and the work Congress should be doing to actually fix our broken immigration laws. Republicans don't want to fix on the problem, they want to campaign on it.'"

Barragán said, "Absolutely. This is just a political stunt. We know that they are going after the secretary because they don't agree on policy. That has never been a reason to impeach a cabinet secretary and it hasn't been done since the Civil War. As somebody who served on the Homeland Security Committee and used to chair the border sub[committee], we never went after [former DHS Secretary] Kirstjen] Neilson and tried to impeach her when she was separating children and families, right? It was a policy disagreement, and that's what we see happening here. Republicans can't govern. We know that this is a 'do nothing' Congress, they have not been able to govern, so they are trying to add more on the border to campaign on, and that's what this is. A political stunt."

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Steele added, "Can I just emphasize that point? Because I think it's important for folks to really understand out there that this breaking news right now, and for folks who are digesting this to understand fundamentally this is a stunt. This is not about anything that Mayorkas, the secretary, has done that violates his constitutional oath of office, that falls into the high crimes or misdemeanor category that is required by the Constitution. This is purely a policy disagreement, and you know, it a real ain't really that, because Republicans haven't put out a policy that they can counter what Mayorkas has done and what the administration is done. So, I think is important for us to really contextualize this moment because, yet again, impeachment is being thrown around and used as a political cudgel against the opponents of the Republicans that they disagree with on policy. I just want to put that on the table because it's an important aspect for people to understand. So don't know get all excited and hyped up about this, 'Oh my God what did the secretary do?' He ain't do nothing, except do what secretaries do, and that's enforce the policy of the administration that Republicans happen to disagree with."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'This is a stunt': Ex-RNC chair blasts GOP’s latest effort to oust DHS secretaryyoutu.be

READ MORE: Top GOP lawyer slams efforts to impeach Mayorkas: 'No current evidence that he is corrupt'