The Department of Homeland Security hired 13 employees from a prestigious, private law firm to defend Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as he faced impeachment proceedings in the House and Senate earlier this year, according to information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The DHS spent $1,625,815.26 in federal taxpayer money on more than a dozen private attorneys and staff at Debevoise and Plimpton, a self-described “premiere” global law firm, according to internal emails obtained through the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank’s oversight project.

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