Number three House Republican Tom Emmer insisted he knew Tuesday night’s impeachment and votes for Israel would lead to double blunders, but leaders were “hopeful” they could change the minds of their colleagues.
“We know what the votes are when we take the floor,” said the Minnesota Republican responsible for twisting votes at the free-wheeling Republican conference to approve his party’s agenda.
On Tuesday evening, the ouster of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas failed, just one vote short of what was needed to pass. Moments later, a bill to provide Israel with $17.6 billion failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass under a suspension of rules.
“We were hoping that a few of our members would change their minds,” Emmer noted in a sit-down interview with DailyMail.com.
“But we knew we had to vote because it is our constitutional duty to comply. Mayorkas has deliberately and systematically undermined existing federal law.”
Number three House Republican Tom Emmer insisted he knew Tuesday night’s impeachment and Israeli votes would lead to double blunders, but leadership was “hopeful” they could change the minds of their colleagues.
Republicans were seemingly surprised when Democrats rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who had just undergone surgery, came in to throw the fatal shot at Mayorkas’ ouster.
The final vote was 214 to 216, with GOP Conference Vice Chairman Blake Moore changing his vote to “no” so he could bring up the resolution again.
“Their floor director literally told our floor director that Al Green wouldn’t be here,” Emmer admitted.
“But we don’t trust any of that,” he continued. “It was up to them to make sure their members were there, and they were.”
Republican Party leadership in the House of Representatives has insisted they will indict the secretary of Homeland Security when Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., returns from recovering from cancer treatment.
But that will have to happen quickly, otherwise the Republicans risk losing votes again.
The special election to replace ousted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is next week — and it’s not clear which party will win the seat.
Three Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the impeachment resolution: Reps. Ken Buck, R-Colo., Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif.
‘I respect a people who want to take a different position on the Constitution. They ignore the fact that we followed the constitutional process,” Emmer said of the three defectors.
He ran afoul of Democrats who opposed the standalone Israel bill — which was a way to undermine the Senate-negotiated immigration and national security aid package that House Republicans opposed long before it even passed. but was released.
“That should be over. Nearly 80 percent of Democrats voted against our greatest ally in the world.”
Fourteen Republicans opposed the relief bill, as did 166 Democrats.
Emmer said he believed the Israeli aid bill would come up again.
He said he “respected” the 14 Conservatives who voted against the aid package because it did not include pay-fors, but “that’s not the question anyway: How does this country end up in such a bad financial position?” And we are dealing with Israel’s right to survive.”
Emmer, left, and Speaker Mike Johnson, right, faced two-story defeats Wednesday morning after an impeachment vote failed and a vote on standalone Israeli aid failed.
Mayorkas will not be impeached: A vote to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security failed by one vote
After the immigration and Ukraine-Israel deal fell apart in the Senate, the Senate is now advancing a $95 billion bill that includes funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan but offers no border provisions.
‘There was never a border deal. Never. There was a conversation between apparently a very small group of people,” Emmer said of the deal. “It doesn’t close the border at all.”
The whip did not rule out the House passing a package to boost aid to Israel and Ukraine without touching the fraught immigration issue.
‘If they do that and send it, we see what the speaker wants to do.’
