WASHINGTON (AP) — The last time Alejandro Mayorkas faced Senate confirmation, not a single Republican voted for him because there was an open investigation into his management of the U.S. immigration agency under President Barack Obama.
Now, nearly seven years later, Mayorkas is President-elect Joe Biden’s groundbreaking nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and that since-completed investigation has emerged as a potential stumbling block.
The Office of Inspector General’s report criticized his handling of three politically connected applications to a program that grants U.S. visas to foreign investors.
Mayorkas has disputed the findings, and he never faced any sanctions.
But Republican senators are bringing it up ahead of what could be a tight confirmation vote.
