After Donald Trump was impeached twice during his term — bringing the total of presidential impeachments in American history to four — there were some predictions that impeachment would soon become a regular, frequent feature of American politics.
President Joe Biden has not been impeached, to date. But it’s not for lack of trying. Republicans in Congress have introduced more than a dozen resolutions to impeach Biden, starting with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introducing a resolution to impeach the president on his first full day in office.
None of the resolutions have gone anywhere, with no indication that the House Republican leadership has any interest in launching a full-on impeachment inquiry, or even holding committee hearings on the matter. But now, there’s a move to actually bring impeachment to the floor, and it’s coming from one of the Republican caucus’ most controversial members.
The Latest Joe Biden Impeachment Attempt
“I am bringing my articles of impeachment against Joe Biden to the House Floor in a privileged motion, meaning that every Member of Congress must vote on holding Joe Biden accountable,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) said on Twitter Tuesday.
Per NBC News, while Republicans of late have been calling the unproven allegations that Biden accepted a bribe while vice president a massive scandal, the Boebert impeachment articles have nothing to do with that. Instead, it’s about the president’s handling of the Southern border.
“President Biden’s negligence of duty has resulted in the surrender of operational control of the border to the complete and total control of foreign criminal cartels putting the lives of American citizens in jeopardy,” Boebert said on the House floor this week.
The resolution itself alleges that Biden “knowingly presided over an executive branch that has continuously, overtly, and consistently violated Federal immigration law by pursuing an aggressive, open-borders agenda by purposefully and knowingly releasing more than 2,000,000 illegal aliens into the interior of the United States without the intention or ability to ensure that they appear in immigration court to face asylum or deportation proceedings.”
It is absolutely false to characterize Biden’s immigration policies as “open borders,” and Biden has frequently been criticized from the left for his administration’s handling of immigration policy.
The Washington Post noted that by using a privileged resolution, Boebert “has superseded House Republican leadership’s ability to control what comes to the House floor. By bypassing the usual process for bringing legislation to a full House vote, Boebert’s action would force lawmakers to vote on the measure in the next two days.”
How will this end up? Almost certainly not with Biden impeached. Per NBC, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the House Minority Whip, told colleagues this week that the House “is expected to take a procedure vote on the motion to table the resolution when it is offered this week,” which would block Boebert’s impeachment efforts.
Indeed, it appears there’s little support on the Republican side for Boebert’s resolution, with the office of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy not responding when NBC News reached out for comment.
“I’m on the House Floor and Boebert is introducing articles of impeachment on President Biden. I see even Republicans rolling their eyes,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) said on Twitter this week.
The Democrat who nearly defeated Boebert in 2022 and is running against her again said this week that the effort is something Boebert often does: A stunt.
“When I say people want the circus to stop, this is what I’m talking about. Rather than wave around silly bills that will go nowhere just to see her name in lights, how about Boebert try legislating?” Frisch tweeted this week, sharing a news story reporting that only two colleagues, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), agreed to co-sponsor the impeachment resolution. “Attention-seeking and grandstanding at its finest.”
Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
