It would be "a very sad day" if Republicans pull a "political stunt" and impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Driving the news: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) earlier this week threatened a potential "impeachment inquiry" into Mayorkas over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border if he doesn't resign.
The big picture: Mayorkas has been threatened with impeachment for a while now as border crossing hit a record high over the past two years.
What they're saying: Chertoff said that impeachment would be "putting form over substance to go through a big performance" that would not go anywhere "rather than actually working with the administration to solve the problem."
- "Maybe adjust the standard with respect to asylum, create more resources that are available to adjudicate, and work out additional ways to fund the effort to undermine the cartels and the smugglers, which are a big part of this."
Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, who served during the Obama administration, appeared on CBS and also called the impeachment effort a stunt.
- "We can't have a secretary who's distracted by a stunt in Congress in an attempt at impeachment," Johnson said.
Go deeper: House Republicans plot to impeach Mayorkas