Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas needed help answering a question about presidential history during a congressional hearing Wednesday.
Mayorkas testified before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” During the hearing, Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu asked Mayorkas who the president was in 1976, but the secretary needed some help answering. (RELATED: ‘Disney Fast Pass’: Matt Gaetz Grills Mayorkas On Key Biden Program Allowing Migrants To Cross Border)
“After Nixon resigned in 1974, his vice president became president. But the issues at the border continued and in 1976 the president stated quote, ’80 to 90% of heroin that comes into the United States today comes across from our southern border,’ end quote. Secretary Mayorkas, who was the Republican president in 1976? The vice president to Nixon.”
Mayorkas responded: “I’m — I’m sorry.” Lieu then gave Mayorkas a hint when he appeared to be struggling with answering the question.
“He was the vice president to Richard Nixon,” Lieu said.
“Gerald Ford, are you speaking of?” Mayorkas then asked.
Lieu then continued with a presidential history question, but Mayorkas said he’d “prefer not to answer questions of history right now.”
“My focus is on the work with the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas added.
WATCH:
Mayorkas has faced scrutiny for his handling of the southern border, leading some House Republicans to file articles of impeachment against him and the House Homeland Security Committee to initiate a weeks-long probe into his leadership.
The number of migrant encounters at the southern border reached a record high of more than 2.3 million in fiscal year 2022. Between October 2022 and June, federal authorities recorded more than 1.7 million encounters, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
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