Democrats are having a field day with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was dealt a crushing loss after the House of Representatives voted not to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The chaos erupted on Tuesday (Feb. 6), and one Republican even changed his vote. Here’s everything you need to know!
Alejandro Mayorkas Narrowly Avoids Impeachment
Republicans started investigating Mayorkas in June 2023, but they’ve been calling for his impeachment ever since they gained control of the House in Jan. 2023. Their problem with Mayorkas stems from his handling of the US-Mexico border crisis – though Democrats feel the articles against him aren’t strong enough.
The House vote was on Tuesday (Feb. 6), and when we say chaos – we mean absolute chaos. The House floor was split in a 215-215 tie for several minutes, with three Republicans voting alongside the Democrats – Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, and California Rep. Tom McClintock.
Republican Blake Moore Changes His Vote
MTG needed just one of those three Republicans to change their vote, and then the trial would move to the Senate. A group of GOP Reps. huddled around Gallagher in an attempt to convince him to change, but he refused.
A fourth Republican – Utah Rep. Blake Moore – ended up joining the Democrats to give them the win, but only so the Republicans could revisit the vote at a later time. A lot of Republicans were frustrated at the attempt, but they still fully expect it to pass the next time around.
Democrat Al Green Shows Up Unannounced
The vote was filled with plenty of surprises – one of which included Texas Rep. Al Green (a Democrat) arriving in a wheelchair to cast his vote. He was recovering from surgery in a nearby hospital, but knew how important his vote was. In fact, it ended up being the deciding factor – and Republicans had no idea it was coming.
As for the three Republicans who voted alongside the Democrats, Marjorie Taylor Greene had a simple message for them. “I’m sure they’ll hear from their constituents, I’m sure they’re probably hearing from them already, but I think they should listen to them,” she told CNN after the vote.
Jamie Raskin Pokes Fun At MTG
Knowing that they’ve won (for now), the Democrats decided to celebrate – and it came at MTG’s expense. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) led the charge with a remark during his floor speech. He said Mayorkas has ‘obviously committed no treason, no bribery, no high crimes, no misdemeanors, nothing indictable, or even in-dik-table.’
It might not sound like much of a burn, but there’s some context to it. It wasn’t that long ago that MTG mispronounced the word ‘indictable’ by saying ‘in-dik-table’ during a House Homeland Security Committee debate. She was mocked back then, and they’re still mocking her for it now.
Internet Joins In On MTG Mockery
It didn’t take long for the internet to join in – as it often does. “Maybe a person who can’t even read/pronounce indictable shouldn’t be allowed to use it as a political weapon?” said one user on X – a sentiment shared by thousands of others who flooded to the platform to share laughing emojis.
A lot of users were also reeling over how he referred to MTG in the speech – calling her ‘the distinguished gentlelady from Georgia.’ He also called the impeachment trial a ‘madcap wild goose chase’ that hasn’t produced any geese. Many Democrats applauded him for his ability to tell it like it is.
Jasmine Crockett Delivers Another Blow
Mere hours after Raskin’s comment went viral, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (a Democrat) took to her X account to share a video of the exchange. She added a little commentary of her own, saying it was ‘too good not to share’ Raskin’s slight (yet effective) dig on MTG.
INCYMI: She didn’t know how to pronounce indictable and instead reverted to her favorite familiar word. Even better is that MAGA Mike wants to make her an impeachment manager,” she wrote. “The R’s really aren’t sending their best to DC or is this their best? Reading and counting keeps tripping them up from doing their jobs.”
MTG’s Infamous Number Gaffe
Crockett also mentioned how ‘counting keeps tripping them up’ – another dig at MTG. Last year, she was ridiculed when talking about how math and reading levels are horrific. She started rattling off a bunch of statistics, but got to a number that she couldn’t seem to figure out.
“There is one million five hundred and twenty-four, five hundred and twenty-four and four hundred eighty-one thou- this is over one million, 1.5 million,” she said – struggling to get it off the tip of her tongue. Between her ‘in-dik-table’ gaffe and number mix-up, she’s proving herself right – math and reading levels are horrific.
Who Is MAGA Mike?
The ‘MAGA Mike’ that Crockett was referring to is Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who is currently serving as the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Johnson – a major ally to Donald Trump – assumed the position on Oct. 25, 2023 and was expected to bring a more conservative governance.
On Feb. 5, he announced that Marjorie Taylor Greene would be the ‘manager’ of the Mayorkas impeachment effort – which is how we got to where we are today. In the months since taking over for Kevin McCarthy, many Republicans have started turning on ‘MAGA Mike’ and he risks losing his position if he doesn’t unify everyone soon.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants To Try Again
While the Democrats got the win, this fight isn’t over – and the Republicans are coming right back with another impeachment trial (much like the Democrats did with Donald Trump). Some experts expect it to pass the House eventually, but getting it through the Senate will be difficult.
Not only do the Democrats control the Senate (51-49), but it’s not just a majority they would need – it would be a two-thirds majority. They would need all Republicans on board (which isn’t guaranteed) and a large group of Democrats on board (which would be near impossible).
