With Joe Biden’s usurpation of the office of President of the United States about to become official tomorrow, there is a behind-the-scenes push to quickly confirm Biden’s key nominees so that he can have his politburo in place when he assumes office. One of the key nominations was that of Alejandro Mayorkas to the position of secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. In that position, he would be positioned to begin dismantling the immigration controls so laboriously put in place over the past four years and return us to the catch-and-release, everybody-is-welcome days of the Obama administration.

That strategy hit a snag today when Mayrokas’s pro forma confirmation was torpedoed by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley.

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley announced on Tuesday that he plans to object to swift consideration of President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a move that will delay the installment of Biden’s national-security team.

Hawley, who has come under heavy scrutiny for leading a push to object to the Electoral College certification of Biden’s victory, cited the incoming administration’s immigration policies. The Missouri senator argued that the nominee, Alejandro Mayorkas, “has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures.”

Senate Democrats had been pushing for quick floor votes on Biden’s national-security nominees in light of the insurrection at the Capitol earlier this month. Mayorkas is still likely to be confirmed by the full Senate, but Hawley’s move effectively delays a floor vote.

Sean Savett, a spokesman for the Biden transition, said the nation “urgently needs” a Senate-confirmed DHS secretary on day one of Biden’s presidency given the extensive and complicated national-security challenges of late.

“Senator Hawley’s threat to disrupt historical practice and try to leave this vital position vacant is dangerous, especially in this time of overlapping crises when there is not a moment to waste,” Savett added.

Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee for his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Mayorkas vowed to do everything in his power to prevent attacks like the one that targeted the Capitol — an insurrection based on unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from President Donald Trump.

I really hope more GOP senators take their lead from Hawley.

Biden has no claim to cooperation from the GOP. The nation will be safer the longer it takes to put Biden’s henchmen and puppeteers into place. In particular, sandbagging any senate confirmations that concern immigration should be a top priority of the entire GOP.

Biden and the Democrats are about to discover that their direct and unprincipled attacks on Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz and some other senators who challenged the Electoral College results are going to have painful consequences. By following Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and seeking to personalize a completely legitimate vote by Hawley, et al, they are creating a non-trivial caucus of senators who will be implacably opposed to Biden for personal as well as policy reasons.