(FeaturedNews.com) – After the House GOP’s unsuccessful bid to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) lamented the absence of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), expressing that his vote could have tipped the scales in favor of the party. Three Republicans broke ranks with their party to oppose the measure, dealing a significant blow to GOP efforts.
Gaetz, who previously stood with Santos during a vote on his expulsion from the House in December, suggested on Newsmax’s “The Balance” that Santos’s support might have secured the necessary votes to reinforce the party’s fragile majority. “As I saw the vote tied at 215-215, I couldn’t help but wish for George Santos’s presence,” Gaetz remarked to Eric Bolling.
The final vote of 214-216 emerged after Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), recovering from surgery and clad in hospital scrubs without socks, unexpectedly voted against impeachment. While two GOP defections were anticipated, the unexpected third “no” vote came from Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who had expressed reservations about impeachment earlier but had not disclosed his voting intentions beforehand.
Another surprising turn came from Rep. Blake Moore (Utah), the vice-chair of the GOP conference, who changed his vote moments before the session closed. This procedural maneuver allows the legislation to be revisited later.
Despite spearheading the impeachment effort, Gaetz also noted the absence of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), suggesting that his presence might have influenced the final count. “I also wondered, wouldn’t it have been nice to still have Kevin McCarthy in the House of Representatives? Never thought you’d hear me say that,” Gaetz remarked, alluding to McCarthy’s resignation from the House after being removed as Speaker.
According to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Republicans plan to reintroduce the legislation once House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), currently undergoing cancer treatment, returns.
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