House Speaker Johnson: Secretary Mayorkas Intentionally an ‘Abject Failure’ on Border Policy

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of the southern border was “intentionally” an “abject failure.”

Partial transcript as follows:

JOHNSON: In a triage situation, you have to stop the flow first before you can commence with the- with the surgery and we- we’re hemorrhaging here. And everyone knows it. Did you know that in this facility here at Del Rio, they estimate that 60 to 70% of the people who have come across are single adult males. We saw them today. It’s- it’s a combination of them and young women who are being trafficked for sex. We know that. And then these minors that the cartels are making huge amounts of money on. I- I mean, this is just anyone with a conscience who came down to see this would demand that it stop. And our constituents are telling us that. And–

MARGARET BRENNAN: So these- but these are very, very real and immediate issues, what you’re describing, it is a crisis. So don’t you need the help of the Homeland Security Secretary, instead of trying to impeach him?

JOHNSON: We’ve been asking Alexand- Secretary Mayorkas since he took office, to enforce the law, to do his job, and he’s done exactly the opposite. He’s testified un- untruthfully before Congress, repeatedly-

BRENNAN: But- But why focus the Congressional resources on going ahead with an impeachment when they could be dealing with the actual issues here on the ground?

JOHNSON:  Our- our Homeland Security Committee has done its job. They have a constitutional responsibility, a legal responsibility, to investigate what is happening with the agency that they have oversight for. They’ve done that for a year, very methodically, carefully, in detail. And they’ve documented all that. I believe Secretary Mayorkas is an abject failure, but it’s not because of incompetence. I believe he has done this intentionally. I think these are intentional policy decisions that he’s made. And I think there must be accountability for that. And I- I can tell you, the vast majority of Americans agree with us on that point.

BRENNAN: But that doesn’t sound very hopeful given that he is the main White House point person talking to Congress right now about the bill that the Senate negotiators are trying to put together on a bipartisan basis–

JOHNSON: Secretary Mayorkas–

BRENNAN: — You’re going to impeach the guy you need to negotiate with–

JOHNSON: Secretary Mayorkas is not a good faith negotiating partner. He is unwilling to enforce existing federal law. Why would we believe that he would do any new provision? He’s lied to Congress repeatedly. He’s lied to me personally, under oath–

BRENNAN: — About what?

JOHNSON: He’s stood in front of my committee on multiple occasions and insisted that the border is closed and secure when everyone in America knows it’s not true. He’s not a good faith partner–

BRENNAN: Well, that’s also a semantic argument, you know that, because–

JOHNSON: No, no, that’s a matter of objective fact. And he has lied to Congress repeatedly.

BRENNAN: Well, that is a matter of semantics in terms of people being apprehended, as you know, coming here, and once they’re apprehended, then say they want to claim asylum.

JOHNSON: Secretary Mayorkas has been to the border, he’s talked to the same officials that we have. He knows that this border is not secure. No one here believes it.

BRENNAN: But you’re not- You’re not saying that all these officials you met with on the ground who are doing the tough work here aren’t actually performing the jobs that are required to?

JOHNSON: Oh, they’re doing heroic work. But- but it’s an impossible situation that’s been created by the Secretary of their department.

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