McCarthy, a Republican from California, made a statement at the Capitol, where he declared that he was instructing the Oversight Committee, which leads the House, to initiate a formal impeachment inquiry. He stated, “These are accusations of misuse of authority, obstruction, and dishonesty, and they necessitate additional examination by the House of Representatives.”
The White House retaliated, labeling the action during the presidential campaign as “radical politics at its lowest point.”
“House Republicans have been investigating the president for nine months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,” said spokesman Ian Sams.
Towards the end of the month, as he grapples with passing essential legislation to prevent a potential federal government shutdown, the Republican speaker McCarthy is confronted with increasing pressure from his conservative allies to take measures against Biden or face the possibility of being removed from his leadership position – all on his own accord.
Some lawmakers have criticized the evidence, saying that it does not reach the bar of “high crimes and misdemeanors” set by the Constitution. It is unclear whether McCarthy would have enough support from his slim GOP majority, and he is launching the House inquiry without a vote.
Sams stated, “McCarthy changed his stance because he lacks backing.” McCarthy’s previous remarks, where he emphasized that a speaker initiating an impeachment inquiry unilaterally would lack legitimacy, were highlighted by the White House and others.
An impeachment inquiry is a rare step, which is usually used to investigate potential charges. Essentially, McCarthy outlined the potential charges to challenge Biden, who is the front-runner Republican in the next election against Donald Trump. Allies of the GOP are working to detract attention from the former president’s legal challenges and turn the negative spotlight on Biden.
The inquiry will be led by James Comer, Chairman of the Oversight Committee, in coordination with Jason Smith, Chairman of the Means & Ways Committee, and Jim Jordan, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. They are heading across the Capitol to brief the Senate on Wednesday.
Tuesday stated, “I do not believe that Speaker McCarthy requires guidance from the Senate,” however, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has cautioned House Republicans against engaging in this endeavor.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, labeled it as an “illegitimate impeachment inquiry” and expressed that Democrats will back Biden “until the absolute conclusion.”
“Jeffries stated, ‘There is no evidence whatsoever that President Joe Biden has participated in any misconduct.’ ‘President Joe Biden is a respectable individual. He is a truthful individual. He is a devoted individual.'”
McCarthy is once again at a political crossroads, trying to save his own job and keep conservative lawmakers satisfied, as the government shutdown and impeachment inquiry threaten to bind him politically.
To avoid a shutdown and the discontinuation of government services, Congress must enact new funding bills before the federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, or else they will face the risk of a shutdown and the interruption of government services.
Gaetz, a Republican hailing from Florida, expressed, “We need to expedite the process,” mocking the investigation as merely “a small step” and resurrecting the possibility of removing the speaker. Shortly after McCarthy’s statement, a prominent Republican opponent took the stage in the House chamber.
The White House insisted that Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings. Democrats are ramping up their efforts to fight against what they see as baseless accusations against him before the 2024 election, while Republicans are trying to blur the lines with Trump.
Former President Trump was impeached twice by the House but acquitted by the Senate. He now faces more serious charges in court, including trying to overturn the 2020 Biden election. Four times this year, he has been indicted.
The House Republicans are currently investigating President Biden’s business dealings with his son Hunter. It has been revealed that during Barack Obama’s presidency, there were a few instances where Biden, who was the vice president at the time, had limited interactions with his son and even stopped hosting business dinners with his son’s business partners.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s financial records would offer additional weight to the impeachment inquiry, as it serves as a court battle.
The Department of Justice has designated a special investigator in that investigation. Republicans argue that the Justice Department has not thoroughly examined the accusations against Hunter Biden, and claim he was given favorable treatment in what they refer to as a favorable plea agreement that recently fell apart.
“We will go wherever the proof leads us,” McCarthy stated.
Kentucky’s Oversight chairman, Comer, is expected to seek banking records and dig into the financial affairs of Biden’s family as the panel tries to follow the flow of money for Hunter Biden.
On Tuesday, Comer demanded that the State Department produce documents about the work Vice President Biden did as the president’s vice president during the Obama administration in order to understand the views of former Ukrainian prosecutor Shokin, whom many Western allies wanted removed from office because of corruption allegations. Comer wants the administration to clean up corruption.
Earlier this year, the extreme right is hesitant to endorse expenditure levels the speaker negotiated with Biden, and conservatives who fuel McCarthy’s majority aim to reduce spending as a government shutdown approaches.
McCarthy is attempting to keep the government running by implementing a temporary 30-day measure, but conservatives are hesitant to support the CR, or continuing resolution, as they push for cuts.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican Representative from Georgia, stated on Monday that she opposes COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the involvement of the United States in the war in Ukraine, referring to them as “red lines.”
If McCarthy puts up a resolution for a vote to oust him from office and vacate the chair, he will face blowback from conservatives, said Gaetz, a top ally of Trump.
At the start of the year, McCarthy and Gaetz struggled to win votes to remove the Speaker from his position, despite securing agreements with other Republicans, including a House rule that allows opponents to call for a vote.