Washington, DC — The House of Representatives is planning to fast track a sham impeachment against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with tomorrow’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing the next step. In the process, Republicans are stoking a dangerous climate by mainstreaming deadly white nationalist conspiracies on “replacement” and “invasion,” despite the connections to real world violence in Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, El Paso and elsewhere. Of note:
- At least 33 Republican members of Congress from the 118th Congress have used language associated with the great replacement theory to call for Secretary Mayorkas’ impeachment (and at least 60 times on public platforms, per detailed America’s Voice tracking and research available HERE).
- During Capitol Hill testimony, Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly warned about domestic terrorism that could be inspired by great replacement “invasion” language.
- For example, Secretary Mayorkas said last summer in response to questioning under oath that when Members of Congress espouse the racist conspiracy theory, “It certainly fuels the threat landscape we encounter.”
- Similarly, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testified last spring, “Racially-motivated violent extremists as a group are the most dangerous of the domestic violent extremist groups … and within that the white supremacists are the most dangerous and most lethal.”
The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Every law enforcement expert has made clear that the most lethal terrorist threat to American security is homegrown white nationalist extremism, which has led to murder and mayhem from Mother Emanuel Baptist Church in South Carolina, to massacres at a Walmart in El Paso, a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, among many others. The same “great replacement” and “invasion” rhetoric that led to white nationalist violence are now being used to try and impeach Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
When Members of Congress promote the white nationalist replacement and invasion conspiracies they are actively increasing the threat to the homeland while simultaneously undermining faith in American democracy. This type of deadly hate has inspired multiple acts of domestic terrorism, while the bigoted conspiracies provide additional fuel for election deniers. Instead of focusing on keeping America safe from our biggest threats, the sham impeachment effort of the DHS Secretary is about an extremist political agenda and one that is actively courting and defending real world violence.”
Additional Research and Background
- America’s Voice has identified 120 Members of Congress who amplified the replacement and invasion conspiracy in their official capacity just this last year.
- We identified over 1,040 times top GOP candidates, officials, or outfits that pushed the bigoted invasion conspiracy fiction in 2023.
- In 2023, the Republican House majority also brought 13 witnesses to Congressional hearings who had promoted replacement and invasion conspiracies and even one witness who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
