Politicians rarely face consequences for their actions. But one man didn’t get by that easily.
And this U.S. Congressman was forced to step down after one despicable betrayal.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) stated on Saturday that he will not seek re-election in 2024, just days after voting against impeaching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The 39-year-old Gallagher, regarded as a rising star in the GOP, was one of three Republicans who voted against impeaching Mayorkas, helping to thwart the effort that Republican leaders swore to carry out.
Gallagher, who was first elected in 2016, issued a statement on Saturday claiming that the nation’s founders did not intend for MPs to make a career out of politics.
“Eight years ago, I promised to treat my time in office as a high-intensity deployment,” said Gallagher, who served for seven years as a U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer.
“Through my bipartisan work on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and chairing the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, we’ve accomplished more on this deployment than I could have ever imagined.”
“But the Framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives,” he added.
A statement from Congressman Gallagher. pic.twitter.com/93xhZIyVRb
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) February 10, 2024
“Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old. And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election.”
Gallagher built a reputation for himself by raising alarms about the Chinese Communist Party and how Chinese-owned TikTok is affecting American kids.
He has also warned that major American corporations like Disney, Ford, and Apple are vulnerable to Chinese influence.
Earlier this week, Gallagher joined Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Tom McClintock (R-CA), as well as all voting Democrats, to defeat a motion that would have made Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary impeached since 1876.
Gallagher contended that impeaching Mayorkas would establish “a dangerous new precedent on impeachment that will be used against future Republican administrations.”
It’s no great loss for Republicans, so long as they are able to replace him with someone else.
As it stands, several Republicans have announced their retirement from Congress in recent weeks, including Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Greg Pence (R-IN), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), and Doug Lamborn (R-CO).
The GOP hopes to maintain its small majority in the House while gaining control of the Senate from Democrats.
But the real fight isn’t just for the seats.
It’s one thing to elect a Republican. It’s another to elect real conservatives.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
