Speaker Mike Johnson Holds A Press Briefing After GOP Fail To Impeach Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas

Forbes Breaking News

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) held a press briefing on Wednesday where he spoke about Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.

Transcript

00:00 >> Morning everyone.

00:01 I've got a couple of things to share with you here.

00:03 Let's be clear about what happened last night.

00:06 The President of the United States threatened to veto

00:08 on the Israel funding package.

00:11 Chuck Schumer then said that he would put a blockade

00:14 up in the Senate and he had 166 House Democrats

00:18 who followed Leader Hakeem Jeffries off that cliff.

00:21 They took that lead and they blocked the funding.

00:25 Let's be clear about this.

00:27 That bill provided exactly the amount of funding

00:30 that the President himself had requested.

00:31 It was $14.3 billion that we passed many, you know,

00:35 three months ago and then we added to it

00:37 to replace our stockpiles and our munitions

00:40 on what's happening in that region.

00:42 There is no reason whatsoever for them to object

00:45 to the contents of that bill.

00:48 They're doing it for political purposes.

00:49 It's bad for national security.

00:51 It's also terrible policy and terrible politics.

00:54 The President of the United States has a 37% approval rating.

00:57 If they're going to follow that lead, I think they did it

00:59 to their detriment and it's a very shameful thing at a time

01:03 when our ally Israel needs the help desperately.

01:06 >> Mr. Speaker, will you allow it?

01:08 Does this put you in a bind though if they're able to move a bill

01:11 in the Senate that deals with both Ukraine and Israel here?

01:14 Because you just pushed for Israel.

01:16 You would have been skeptical of aid for Ukraine here.

01:18 Does that put you in a bind if they move something over there

01:20 and send it back to the House?

01:22 >> Look, we'll see what the Senate does.

01:23 We're allowing the process to play out

01:25 and we'll handle it as it is sent over.

01:27 I have made very clear that you have to address these issues

01:30 on their own merits.

01:32 And Israel desperately needs the assistance.

01:33 Everyone knows that.

01:34 Things have changed pretty dramatically since we passed

01:36 that first Israel package in the House three months ago.

01:39 Everyone knows the tensions have escalated

01:41 and we need to support it there.

01:43 So we'll address that.

01:44 We'll see what the Senate does.

01:45 We spend a lot of time on the House side awaiting the Senate's

01:48 action and it's frustrating sometimes,

01:50 but that's the way the process plays out.

01:51 >> On impeachment, I mean, what happened yesterday

01:55 with the vote on Secretary Mayorkas?

01:57 Why bring that to the floor if you didn't have the votes?

02:00 And will you hold another vote to impeach him?

02:03 >> Yeah, on impeachment, last night was a setback,

02:05 but democracy is messy.

02:06 We live in a time of divided government.

02:08 We have a razor thin margin here and every vote counts.

02:11 Sometimes when you're counting votes and people show

02:14 up when they're not expected to be in the building,

02:15 it changes the equation.

02:17 But listen, we have a duty and a responsibility

02:19 to take care of this issue.

02:21 We have to hold the Secretary of the Department

02:23 of Homeland Security accountable.

02:25 Mayorkas needs to be held accountable.

02:26 The Biden administration needs to be held accountable

02:28 and we will pass those articles of impeachment.

02:31 We'll do it on the next round.

02:32 >> Mr. Speaker, what would you say to Americans concerned

02:37 that Congress isn't able to do basic functions?

02:40 >> Well, it's simply not true.

02:41 We're governing here.

02:42 Sometimes it's messy.

02:44 The framers anticipated that you would have a system

02:46 where people with very different philosophical viewpoints

02:48 that come from different parts of the country

02:50 and different constituencies would have different ideas

02:52 on how to resolve their problems.

02:54 But what they also anticipated is that we'd be able to get

02:56 in a room and arm wrestle over public policy and come

02:59 to consensus to move the ball forward for the most people.

03:01 That is what's happening here.

03:02 You're seeing the messy sausage making,

03:05 the process of democracy play out.

03:07 And it's not always clean, it's not always pretty,

03:09 but the job will be done at the end of the day.

03:11 >> Some of your critics will say this shows your inexperience.

03:16 And Congressman Massey says getting rid

03:18 of Kevin McCarthy was an unmitigated disaster

03:21 for your party.

03:23 What do you say to that?

03:24 >> Well, look, it was a mess what happened here,

03:25 but we're cleaning it up.

03:27 And Massey's one of my dear friends and colleagues.

03:29 And I don't think that this is a reflection on the leader,

03:32 it's a reflection on the body itself and the place

03:34 where we've come in this country.

03:36 Look, the nation is divided.

03:38 We lament that, right?

03:39 The differences, the chasm

03:41 between the two parties right now is wider

03:43 than it's ever been.

03:45 And there are lots of emotions.

03:46 And we live in the age of social media and 24-hour news cycle.

03:50 You know, there were previous Congresses where a gaggle

03:52 like this would not even have been possible.

03:54 So we're in a different time.

03:56 But what we need to do in a time like this,

03:58 in a time of great challenge, is lead on principle.

04:00 And that's what we're doing.

04:02 Again, the process is messy sometimes,

04:04 but the job will be done.

04:05 And we're going to govern this country.

04:06 It's the greatest country in the history of the world.

04:08 The entire world is counting upon us.

04:11 We have steady hands at the wheel.

04:12 We'll get through it.

04:13 Everybody take a deep breath.

04:15 It's a long game.

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