GOP reps spar with Oversight Dems at border hearing over 'white nationalist' claim

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House holds border hearing as McCarthy faces pressure from Republicans to impeach Mayorkas

Chad Pergram reports on the House Oversight Committee hearing and calls to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee took aim at a tweet put out by their Democratic counterparts which accused them of fueling "white nationalist conspiracy theories" with a hearing on security at the southern border.

Chairman James Comer highlighted the tweet at the opening of the hearing, which features Border Patrol agents and is on "the front lines of the border crisis."

Oversight Committee Democrats had tweeted a "good morning and good luck" to everyone except Republican members "who are using today's hearing to amplify white nationalist conspiracy theories instead of a comprehensive solution to protect our borders and strengthen our immigration system."

Comer called the tweet "disturbing" and warned that the tweet violates House rules.

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"While vigorous disagreement is part of the legislative process. Members are reminded that we must adhere to established standards of decorum and debate," he said.

"It's a violation of House rules and the rules of this committee to engage in personalities regarding other members or to question the motives of a colleague. So remarks of the type that we just saw in the tweet are not permitted by the rules and are not in keeping with the best traditions of our committee," he said.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., then weighed in with his opposition to the tweet in question.

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"My colleagues on the other side of the aisle who want to state that we're using this hearing for white nationalism," he said. "I'm not doing that." 

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He continued: "So if you feel that strongly come to this side of the room and let's talk about it face to face, only that kind of silly stuff for somebody else. Don't bring that here today. This stuff is serious."

A Border Patrol agent on horseback monitors the area near where the U.S.-Mexico border fence meets the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 7, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

The hearing on the crisis at the border, which saw more than 2.3 million migrant encounters in FY 2022 and more than 251,000 in December alone, features two Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agents.

Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin leads the agency in the Tucson Sector, while Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez runs the agency in Rio Grande Valley.

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It is one of a number of hearings held or being planned by Republicans in the House. Republicans have sought to pin the blame for the crisis on the policies of the Biden administration. Democrats and the White House have accused Republicans of blocking an immigration reform plan that they say would overhaul a "broken" system. Republicans balked at the plan due to the inclusion of a mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants already in the country.