Marjorie Taylor Greene is not happy about the House’s vote to shelve her articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, specifically naming her GOP colleagues who voted against the articles in an email and in numerous tweets.
The Georgia Republican forced the impeachment vote on 13 November. Eight Republicans joined to support the Democrats’ motion — in a vote of 209-201 — to send the resolution to the Homeland Security Committee.
Ms Greene’s team sent an email blast, calling out her Republican colleagues who joined the Democrats “to KILL my Articles of Impeachment” by naming each of them: Reps Ken Buck, Darrell Issa, Tom McClintock, Patrick McHenry, John Duarte, Virginia Foxx, Cliff Bentz and Mike Turner.
She then took to X to livestream her gripes about the vote. Rep Greene said the vote sent her resolution back to committee, “where articles of impeachment go to die.”
“We’ve seen how bad it is at the border but we can’t get Republicans to impeach Secretary Mayorkas? This is outrageous,” she continued. Ms Greene also accused Mr Mayorkas of “willfully breaking our laws and allowing the invasion to happen.”
The Georgia Republican then targeted her GOP colleagues one by one. She started with Rep Buck. Because Mr Buck isn’t running for re-election, Ms Greene accused him of casting “revenge votes” against “anyone he doesn’t like.” Since he’s retiring, “he doesn’t care about what’s happening about Mayorkas,” she added.
Rep John Duarte told Axios before the vote that he opposed impeachment articles that “hasn’t gone through regular order.” However, Ms Greene chalked up his decision to supporting “Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ open border,” because he also opposed the Secure the Border bill earlier this year.
“This type of lack of will, lack of courage…to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable is shameful,” she added.
The following day, she still didn’t let the vote slide. She wrote a tweet addressed to the eight Republicans: “How many more Americans have to die while you claim impeachment has to be done the ‘right way?’ My articles have been rotting in committee and now go back on the shelf.” Ms Greene added, “Your excuses are pathetic!”
Rep Greene’s harsh rebuke spawned a hashtag on X: #TraitorEight.
In the aftermath of the vote, some Republicans explained their decision to buck their party’s position.
On Monday, Rep Foxx echoed Mr Duarte’s sentiment about the importance of the impeachment process. “In January, I offered my full-throated support of launching an impeachment inquiry into Secretary Mayorkas – and not stooping to the same level as House Democrats when they launched a snap impeachment crusade against President Trump,” she wrote in a statement. She added, “We’d better do things by the book from the get-go – shortcuts are not an option.”
On Tuesday morning, Mr Buck explained his vote. He wrote on X that while Sec Mayorkas “has failed to execute his duties” in his role, “the responsibility for his appointment lies with President Joe Biden.” He added, “Gross incompetence is not grounds for impeachment….Now is not the time for another fruitless impeachment that is dead-on-arrival in the Senate.”
Rep Issa also came forward about his opposition to the resolution. “Marjorie Taylor Greene is a hard working member of Congress, but I believe she lacks the maturity and the experience to understand what she was asking for,” the California Congressman said, according to a reporter from the Washington Examiner.
Ms Greene slammed Mr Issa’s remark. “Darrell Issa is right, I am a hardworking member of Congress who puts the American people first. But we all know what Darrell Issa lacks…” she wrote, adding five ball emojis.
She replied to her own tweet on her personal account, posting a clip of former President Donald Trump saying: “She said he’s a pussy.”
