This is Brian Lair's Daily Politics podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Thursday, February 1st.

I'm Bridget Bergen, senior reporter in the WNYC and Goth the Miss Newsroom filling in for Brian today.

History was made again at the U.S. Capitol this week.

For the first time in nearly 150 years, House members advanced articles of impeachment

against a sitting cabinet member. In a marathon hearing that stretched from Tuesday morning

until early Wednesday, the House Committee

on Homeland Security voted down party lines on two articles of impeachment against Alejandro

Majorcas. The Homeland Security Secretary has been widely criticized by Republican lawmakers

over the agency's handling of security at the southern border. Here's committee chair,

Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee during his opening statement at the hearing on Tuesday.

We're here because our oath and duty compel us to be here. The actions and decisions of

Secretary Mayarchus have left us with no other option than to proceed with articles of

impeachment. To quote Madison once again, perhaps the greatest danger of abuse in the executive

power lies in the improper continuance of bad men in office, end quote. We cannot allow this man

to remain in office any longer. The time for accountability is now.

Given the deep partisan divide that has come to dominate politics in Washington and across the country,

it's no surprise that Democrats framed this hearing very differently. Here's ranking committee member

Congressman Benny Thompson, of Mississippi.

The sham impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas is a baseless political stunt by extreme mega

Republicans. Chairman Green, Representative Margaret Taylor Green, and others have pushed for

and even fundraised based on this pre-planned, predetermined, scapegoating of the secretary.

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