In the last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has introduced impeachment articles targeting President Joe Biden and four top officials, each alleging a smorgasbord of improprieties from “intentionally failing to secure our homeland” to “weaponizing the Department of ‘Injustice.'”
An impeachment is the presentation of formal charges against a public official by the House; a trial on those charges is held before the Senate.
The Georgia Republican and Trump loyalist’s impeachment push comes as pressure mounts around former President Donald Trump’s legal woes. Trump – who was impeached twice by the House while president, but acquitted by the Senate both times – now faces charges in a New York hush money probe and a federal investigation into his allegedly improper retention of classified documents. Additional investigations are ongoing.
Here’s what we know about the five Biden officials Greene wants to impeach.
President Joe Biden
Greene brought articles of impeachment against Biden on May 18, alleging he committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” in connection with his immigration policies. It’s the sixth time she’s introduced articles of impeachment against the president, none of which have been successful.
- Greene alleges that Biden “deliberately compromised our national security” by purportedly failing to protect the southern border. She blamed Biden’s “cancellation” of Trump’s border wall extension for illegal immigration and the fentanyl crisis.
- The White House immediately condemned Greene as “one of the most extreme MAGA members” in Congress and her impeachment effort as a “shameless sideshow political stunt.”
MTG impeachment effortsMarjorie Taylor Greene wants to impeach Joe Biden. The White House called her push a ‘stunt’
Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas is the Secretary of Homeland Security, sworn in during February 2021. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for overseeing border security, among other security facets, which Greene claims Mayorkas has failed to do in his role. She introduced impeachment articles against him on May 17.
- Greene alleges that Mayorkas “aided and abetted the complete invasion of our country” and suggested he lied under oath about the Biden administration’s control of the border. She cited a “record amount” of fentanyl seized at the border and slammed other Biden administration immigration policies.
Merrick Garland
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland oversees the Department of Justice and is the country’s chief federal law enforcement officer. He was sworn in during March 2021. Greene brought impeachment articles against Garland for the second time on May 17.
- Greene claims that Garland oversaw the “politicization” of the Justice Department, which she alleges disfavors conservatives. She further criticized Garland for overseeing the prosecution of Jan. 6 rioters – whom she called “overwhelmingly nonviolent” – but not “Antifa” or Black Lives Matter protestors, whom she called “terrorists.”
- When Greene last introduced impeachment articles against Garland, in August 2022 after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in connection with the Trump classified documents investigation, she said he did not “faithfully” execute his job to defend the U.S. Constitution. Garland had said during a press conference days earlier that “faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly, without fear or favor.”
Christopher Wray
Christopher Wray was appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Trump and sworn in during August 2017. During the Trump administration, he reported to former Attorney General Bill Barr, but now reports to Garland.
- Greene claims Wray has helped execute the alleged weaponization of the justice system, turning the FBI into Biden’s “personal police force.” The laundry list of Greene’s charges against Wray include the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago, investigations into anti-abortion activists following the reversal of Roe v. Wade and purported “protection” of Biden’s son, Hunter.
Matthew Graves
Matthew Graves is the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a role he assumed in November 2021. He has overseen the vast efforts to prosecute Jan. 6 rioters who invaded the Capitol after Trump claimed he had won the election. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and D.C. since the riot.
- Greene alleges Graves is “systematically criminalizing political dissent at the behest of his handlers in the White House.” She references Jan. 6 rioters without naming them, and cites a statistic that D.C. federal prosecutors declined to prosecute 67% of those arrested who would have been tried in D.C. Superior Court.
Will GOP impeachment efforts prevail?
Most of the impeachment articles Greene brought against Biden and other top officials will not likely see a House vote, much less passage in the narrowly GOP-led chamber. The Senate, which would hold trials on the charges, is held by Democrats at a slim margin.
But efforts to impeach Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, do appear to be advancing. Politico reported Wednesday that right-wing lawmakers are mounting an effort to get the votes to impeach the secretary.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Az., who has also introduced articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, told Politico the coalition is “getting pretty darn close” to having the votes. However, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has said Republicans “don’t have the votes” to see the impeachment through.
