The Republicans are leading Impeachment hearings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requested a written statement from Mallorcas after saying he “refused” to testify in person, but a letter obtained by NBC News indicates he is willing to testify on a date other than the requested date.
The Republican-led Homeland Security Committee has asked Mayorkas to testify in a letter this Thursday, January 18. The letter did not suggest alternative dates for the Majorcans to appear.
In a response letter sent to the committee last Thursday, January 11, the Department of Homeland Security said Mayorkas could not testify this week due to scheduling reasons, in part because he was scheduled. host Mexican government officials to discuss border security.
“Consistent with the Secretary’s commitment to cooperating with Congressional Committees, he will make himself available to testify before the Committee,” the DHS letter said. “We look forward to working with Committee staff on the details and agreeing on the date and structure of the hearing. As you can appreciate, the Secretary’s schedule is quite busy with the Department’s work, including hosting members of the Mexican Cabinet next week to discuss border security.
A Mexican delegation, including members of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Cabinet, is visiting Washington to discuss and negotiate new policies to stem the flow of migration. The talks began last month when Mallorcas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Mexico to ask Mexico to do more to stop migrants bound for the United States.
“They offer the Secretary the opportunity to submit written testimony defending her refusal to comply with the laws and regulations of the United States,” Republicans on the National Security Committee, led by Tennessee State Chairman Mark Green, wrote in the letter. it is a betrayal of the people’s trust.”
Republicans on the committee have declined to offer more dates for Mayorkas, in part because they want to hold a vote on his impeachment by the end of the month, two Democratic sources said.
A A DHS spokesperson declining to offer more dates, saying “it is abundantly clear that they are not interested in hearing from Secretary Mayorkas because it is inconsistent with their malicious, premeditated and unconstitutional rush to impeach him.”
It was not immediately known whether Mayorkas would provide written testimony to the committee. A DHS official He noted that Mayorkas testified before Congress 27 times in 35 months, more than any other member of Biden’s cabinet, where he focused on answering questions about immigration at the southern border.
Rebecca Kaplan contributed.