On Sunday, former President Donald Trump – who was twice impeached by the then-Democratic controlled House of Representatives – was seemingly looking for payback, and via his Truth Social app called for Republicans to impeach President Joe Biden.
Impeachment Time?
“The Republicans in Congress, though well meaning, keep talking about an Impeachment ‘Inquiry’ on Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump wrote, adding, “Look, the guy got bribed, he paid people off, and he wouldn’t give One Billion Dollars to Ukraine unless they ‘got rid of the Prosecutor.’ Biden is a Stone Cold Crook-You don’t need a long INQUIRY to prove it, it’s already proven. These lowlifes Impeached me TWICE (I WON!), and Indicted me FOUR TIMES – For NOTHING! Either IMPEACH the BUM, or fade into OBLIVION. THEY DID IT TO US!”
Though Trump’s post on social media may have egged on the GOP, efforts have already been underway to advance an impeachment inquiry into Biden. It could come as early as next month when Congress reconvenes. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said it is more likely, and called an inquiry “a natural step forward.”
However, the California Republican has avoided committing to an impeaching vote, or even offering a timeline for possible action. An inquiry could be a middle ground that allows the investigation to go forward while ensuring that there are ample reasons to bring forth a formal impeachment.
“If you look at all the information we have been able to gather so far, it is a natural step forward that you would have to go to an impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
McCarthy said that an inquiry could provide “Congress the apex of legal power to get all the information they need.”
Full Speed Ahead on Impeachment
Some Republican lawmakers are ready to charge forward – and argue that the facts suggest an impeachment inquiry is not even needed.
“It’s a must,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told The Hill in an interview on Sunday. “I mean, if not now, when? We got enough not just to start to inquiry, but we got enough to impeach him.”
Yet, other GOP lawmakers have called for a more tempered approach, and warned that impeachment without the evidence would just payback for Trump’s past impeachments.
“I think before we move on to [an] impeachment inquiry, we should … there should be a direct link to the president in some evidence,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) also told The Hill in an interview. “We should have some clear evidence of a high crime or misdemeanor, not just assuming there may be one. I think we need to have more concrete evidence to go down that path.”
Another Republican in the House of Representatives who was granted anonymity told CNN on Monday, “There’s no evidence that Joe Biden got money, or that Joe Biden, you know, agreed to do something so that Hunter could get money. There’s just no evidence of that. And they can’t impeach without that evidence. And I don’t I don’t think the evidence exists.”
Smoke But Is There Fire?
According to The Washington Post, which looked at several recent polls, Americans are significantly less in favor of a potential Biden impeachment than they were of Trump’s impeachments. That was due to the perceived lack of connection between Biden and his son’s problems.
It is absolutely true that Americans do have a dim view of both Hunter Biden’s actions and of the fairness of the Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation of him. Most agreed he may have received special treatment, yet, at the same time, a majority of Americans don’t see a link to the president.
In other words, the Republicans may continue to investigate President Biden, and there may even be an impeachment at some point. Yet, given that the Democrats control the Senate, it will still be little more than political theater – and by most accounts, Americans aren’t interested in such a show, at least not at this time.
Other than satisfying a need for political payback, nothing good will likely come from these efforts by the GOP, and it could even hurt their chances to maintain their thin majority in the House of Representatives.
It would seem some are still intent on winning a battle, even if it means losing a war in the process.
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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