House Republicans plot to impeach Mayorkas

The bottom line: Only one Cabinet official has ever been impeached, according to the House historian.

Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached by the House, and later acquitted by the Senate, in 1876 for allegedly taking bribes.

Neither that history, nor the spiraling precedent of trying to oust Cabinet members for pursuing a rival administration’s policies, is proving to be any deterrent to the House GOP.

If the conference emerges with control of the chamber after the midterms, the urge to impeach Biden himself or his top officials could force McCarthy into action quicker than he might ideally like.

The impulse would be strong even if the gesture would be futile, given the challenge of getting 67 votes to convict in a Senate still expected to be closely divided regardless of whether the GOP also wins control of it.