House Republicans Launch Impeachment Inquiry into President Joe Biden, McCarthy Announces
September 12, 2023, 11:39 AM ET
Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Tuesday that House Republicans will proceed with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. McCarthy made the announcement at the U.S. Capitol, stating, “Today, I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”
McCarthy emphasized that the inquiry will allow House committees to gather all the necessary facts and answers to address the concerns of the American public. He also expressed his belief that President Biden would want to answer the questions and allegations brought forward.
The inquiry will be led by House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, and House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith, selected by McCarthy. “I do not make this decision lightly,” stated McCarthy, emphasizing that the facts regarding President Biden concern all Americans, irrespective of their party affiliation.
Despite McCarthy’s intentions, it remains uncertain whether there are sufficient votes to open the impeachment inquiry. Efforts are underway to persuade holdouts, such as GOP Rep. Ken Buck, to support the inquiry. Buck is scheduled to receive a briefing from the House Oversight Committee staff this week regarding the investigations into President Biden.
McCarthy has been signaling a Biden impeachment inquiry for weeks, with the aim of obtaining bank records and other documents related to President Biden and his son, Hunter. In August, McCarthy told Fox News that an impeachment inquiry would offer Congress the necessary legal power to gather all the required information. Nonetheless, Republicans have yet to provide concrete evidence of any wrongdoing by President Biden.
The announcement of the formal impeachment inquiry coincides with McCarthy’s attempts to prevent a potential revolt from conservative hard-liners and avoid a government shutdown. With the House returning from recess and a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a spending measure to keep the government running, House Republican leaders seek to pass a continuing resolution to buy more time for negotiations on a broader appropriations package.
However, members of the House Freedom Caucus, who previously opposed McCarthy’s leadership and his debt limit deal with President Biden, have indicated that they will not support a continuing resolution without specific language on border security and the “weaponization of the DOJ.” They are also opposed to additional aid to Ukraine, potentially setting the House at odds with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
Amid the mounting tension, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has openly threatened to bring a motion to vacate against McCarthy, which would force a vote on whether McCarthy should continue as speaker. McCarthy, however, dismissed the threat, stating, “He should go ahead and do it… Matt’s, Matt.”
McCarthy affirmed that there is a lot of work to be done in September and vowed to fulfill the responsibilities of his position. “We’re gonna get our work done just as we’ve been doing,” he assured.