Turley says there’s no ‘cognizable basis’ for Republicans to impeach Mayorkas

Conservative pundit and legal scholar Jonathan Turley reiterated his belief this week that House Republicans lack sufficient evidence to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“I don’t think they have established any of those basis for impeachment,” Turley said during an appearance Monday morning on Fox News, where he is also a regular contributor for legal affairs. “The fact is, impeachment is not for being a bad Cabinet member or even a bad person. It is a very narrow standard.”

“I just don’t believe that they have a cognizable basis here for impeachment,” Turley said, noting lawmakers and constitutional experts have long warned about the weaponization of impeachment against government officials for political purposes.

Turley’s comments were first highlighted by Mediaite.

House Republicans over the weekend introduced articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, as they lob attacks against President Biden’s administration over its handling of the southern border and other immigration issues.

The impeachment push also comes as lawmakers work on a massive border security package, which faces opposition from conservatives in both chambers.

Turley has previously expressed skepticism of the merits of Republicans’ impeachment push, writing in a recent op-ed for The Daily Beast that Biden “has been dead wrong on immigration, but voters will soon have an opportunity to render a judgment on those policies in the election.”

“Mayorkas has carried out those policies,” Turley wrote. “What has not been shown is conduct by the secretary that could be viewed as criminal or impeachable.”