Are the walls closing in on President Joe Biden?
That certainly could be the case, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested on Monday that House Republicans could be approaching a point where they would actively pursue an impeachment investigation into the president.
“We’ve only followed where the information has taken us. But Hannity, this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed,” McCarthy told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday evening.
Impeachment and Disgrace Coming Soon for Joe Biden?
Even as he stopped short of stating that he would move to formalize an impeachment against Biden, this is the furthest that McCarthy has gone on a potential inquiry. No timeline was offered, but it is almost certain that the investigations into the business dealings of the Biden family will continue. That will include probes of payments that President Biden’s family members received from foreign companies.
McCarthy vowed that Republicans would “follow this all the way to the end and this is going to rise from an impeachment inquiry.”
President Joe Biden isn’t the only subject of an impeachment inquiry. It was last month that McCarthy first floated the idea that Attorney General Merrick Garland could be the subject of an investigation over alleged political bias and for his “weaponization” of the Department of Justice (DoJ).
In addition, Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee have also been reportedly building their case for impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Full GOP Support?
It is very unlikely that the entirety of Republican lawmakers will support an impeachment, even if it reaches a vote. While McCarthy faces significant pressure from the far-right members, those in swing districts and more moderate GOP lawmakers may not see this as more than political theater.
As the Democrats control the Senate, there is little likelihood that President Biden would be removed from office. Already, House Republicans dismissed the Biden impeachment push by firebrand Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado by sending her bill to committee.
Is This Revenge for Trump’s Impeachment?
A case is also being made by Democrats that these investigations are payback for the multiple impeachments of former President Donald Trump, as well as the continued investigations and indictments made against him.
Republicans had warned for months in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm election that Biden could be impeached if the GOP secured control of the House.
It was in January 2022 that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas predicated via his podcast that there was a chance such an impeachment could come, whether it was “justified or not,” and he added that the Democrats had only themselves to blame.
“Democrats weaponized impeachment,” Cruz stated. “They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him. And one of the real disadvantages of doing that … is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Politically Motivated?
The White House has criticized the Republican efforts to target the president and has suggested it is entirely politically motivated.
“Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the @HouseGOP wants to prioritize,” Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, responded via a tweet on Monday evening. “Their eagerness to go after @POTUS regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless.”
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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