In the past month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, has filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden and four senior officials, each alleging a mix of wrongdoings ranging from “intentionally failing to secure the our land” to “arming the ‘Injustice’ Department”.
An impeachment is the presentation of formal charges against a public official by the House; a trial is held for these charges before the Senate.
The impeachment push for the Georgia Republican and Trump loyalist comes as pressure mounts over former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Trump, who was twice impeached by the House while president but acquitted by the Senate both times, now faces charges in a New York money probe and a federal investigation into his alleged improper withholding of classified documents. Further investigations are ongoing.
Here’s what we know about the five Biden officials Greene wants fired.
President Joe Biden
Greene brought articles of impeachment against Biden on May 18, alleging that he committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” in relation to his immigration policies. It is the sixth time he has brought articles of impeachment against the president, none of which have been successful.
Greene alleges that Biden “deliberately compromised our national security” by failing to protect the southern border. He blamed Biden’s “cancellation” of Trump’s border wall extension on illegal immigration and the fentanyl crisis. The White House immediately condemned Greene as “one of the most extreme members of MAGA” in Congress and his impeachment effort as a “shameless political stunt.”
Efforts to impeach MTGMarjorie Taylor Greene wants to impeach Joe Biden. The White House called his push a ‘trick’
Alexander Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas is the Secretary of National Security, sworn in during February 2021. The Department of National Security is responsible for border security surveillance, among other aspects of security, which Greene claims Mayorkas has not been able to do in his role. He filed articles of impeachment against him on May 17.
Greene alleges that the mayor “aided and abetted the complete invasion of our country” and suggested he lied under oath about the Biden administration’s border controls. He cited a “record amount” of fentanyl seized at the border and criticized other immigration policies of the Biden administration.
Merrick Garland
United States Attorney General Merrick Garland oversees the Department of Justice and is responsible for the application of federal law in the country. He was sworn in during March 2021. Greene filed articles of impeachment against Garland for the second time on May 17.
Greene claims Garland oversaw the “politicization” of the Justice Department, which he alleges is biased against conservatives. He also criticized Garland for overseeing the prosecution of the Jan. 6 rioters, whom he called “overwhelmingly nonviolent,” but not Antifa or Black Lives Matter protesters, whom he called “terrorists.” . When Greene last filed articles of impeachment against Garland, in August 2022 after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in connection with the investigation into classified Trump documents, he said he did not “faithfully” execute his work to defend the US Constitution. Garland had said during a news conference days earlier that “faithful adherence to the rule of law is a fundamental principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law uniformly, without fear or favor.”
Christopher Wray
Christopher Wray was appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations by Trump and was sworn in in August 2017. During the Trump administration, he reported to former Attorney General Bill Barr, but now reports to Garland.
Greene claims Wray has helped execute the alleged weaponization of the justice system, turning the FBI into Biden’s “personal police force.” Greene’s list of charges against Wray includes the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, investigations into anti-abortion activists after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and alleged “protection” of Biden’s son, Hunter.
Matthew Graves
Matthew Graves is the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, a role he assumed in November 2021. He has overseen major efforts to prosecute the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol after Trump claimed he had won the election. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and DC since the riots.
Greene alleges Graves is “systematically criminalizing political dissent at the behest of his handlers in the White House.” He refers to the rioters of January 6 without naming them and cite a statistic that federal prosecutors in DC refused to prosecute 67% of those arrested who would have been tried in DC Superior Court.
Will GOP impeachment efforts prevail?
Most of the articles of impeachment Greene filed against Biden and other top officials likely won’t see a vote in the House, let alone approval in the GOP-led chamber. The Senate, which would hold impeachment trials, is held by Democrats by a narrow margin.
But efforts to oust Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, appear to be moving forward. The politician has reported Wednesday that right-wing lawmakers are making an effort to get the votes to remove the secretary.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Az., who has also filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, told Politico that the coalition is getting “pretty close” to having the votes. However, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, has said Republicans “I don’t have votes” to end the impeachment.
