Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas refused to say on Thursday whether he lied under oath about the security of the U.S. border.
Mayorkas dodged the questions from Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah one day after the Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against the Biden administration official. Romney questioned Mayorkas about whether he told the truth in previous hearings when asked about the border. (RELATED: ‘It’s Clearly An F’: Sen. Mitt Romney Asks Mayorkas To Grade Biden Admin’s Border Security Efforts)
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 05: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) arrives for an all-senators closed briefing where they will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via video conference at the U.S. Capitol on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. In addition to hearing from Zelensky, high-level Ukraine officials are scheduled to brief the senators in-person to make a last-minute appeal for additional aid in their war against Russian aggression as funding will expire at the end of December. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 18: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is sworn in for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing on the department’s budget request on Capitol Hill on April 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. Mayorkas is back on the hill just a day after the U.S. Senate dismissed the articles of impeachment against him, voting on party lines that the charges did not meet the constitutional bar of high crimes or misdemeanors. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“The [House of Representatives] said that you lied when you said to the House in a hearing that the border was secure,” Romney said. “Why did you say the border was secure? Was it a lie?”
“Senator Romey, allow me to assure you that I have honored the oath of office that I have taken more than five times in my 22-plus years of federal service,” Mayorkas responded.
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Mayorkas has claimed that the border is secure on multiple occasions. Border Patrol faced 2.2 million encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 and 2 million in fiscal year 2023, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported.
“Let me go back to the question, that’s as accurate as it is irrelevant, which is my question you said the border was secure,” Romney asked. “What did you mean when you said the border was secure? Is that not a lie?”
“You’ve asked me now if that is a lie and I have assured you that I have honored the oath of office,” Mayorkas responded.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 18: Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) (L) speaks with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) before U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing on the department’s budget request on Capitol Hill on April 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. Mayorkas is back on the hill just a day after the U.S. Senate dismissed the articles of impeachment against him, voting on party lines that the charges did not meet the constitutional bar of high crimes or misdemeanors. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 18: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing on the department’s budget request on Capitol Hill on April 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. Mayorkas is back on the hill just a day after the U.S. Senate dismissed the articles of impeachment against him, voting on party lines that the charges did not meet the constitutional bar of high crimes or misdemeanors. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
US Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) listens during a US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on stopping the spread of Monkeypox, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2022. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Romney, who voted against dismissing the impeachment charges against Mayorkas, pressed the Cabinet secretary further on his previous responses.
“In what way was it not a lie, then?” Romney asked.
“With the resources and authorities that we have, it is as secure as it can be,” Mayorkas said.
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