Congressman Ben Cline to be one of 11 impeachment managers

Congressman Ben Cline was selected as an impeachment manager in the effort to oust embattled Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, selected Cline, also a Republican, along with 10 other members of Congress, to present the case to impeach Mayorkas in a Senate trial.

"Secretary Mayorkas has knowingly and willfully neglected his oath of office, plunging America into the worst border crisis in our history," Cline said in a statement. “Every community, including Virginia’s 6th District, is now a border community facing the consequences of his dereliction of duty.”

Cline's office did not respond when asked for specific examples of how Virginia's 6th Congressional District was directly affected by Mayorkas' leadership of the Department of Homeland Security.

Cline blamed Mayorkas for an increase in migrants who have crossed the U.S. Southern Border, and alleged that under his leadership, the Department of Homeland Security has “utilized loopholes” within the U.S. immigration system. He alleged that, under Mayorkas’ tenure, cartels have been empowered, and human trafficking and fentanyl-related crises have increased.

Cline was a private practice attorney and served as an assistant prosecutor and as member of the Virginia House of Delegates before he was elected to represent Virginia’s 6^th Congressional District in 2018.

He, along with the 10 other impeachment managers, will deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate once they return from recess. If the Senate decides to act on the articles of impeachment, Cline and the other managers will make the case to the Senate to remove Secretary Mayorkas from his office, Maggie Clemmons, Cline’s communications director, said in an email.

The U.S. House voted to impeach Mayorkas on Tuesday with a single vote margin. Three House Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the effort.

“Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country," Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to USA Today after the vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D - N.Y., has not committed to holding proceedings for the impeachment trial and has called the effort a "sham."

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Rep. Ben Cline was named 1 of 11 impeachment managers by House Speaker