Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced on Tuesday that the House will proceed with an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.
“I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct — a culture of corruption,” he said in a post to X.
I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct—a culture of corruption. https://t.co/3uoDlUB3Sy
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) September 12, 2023
In brief remarks at the U.S. Capitol, McCarthy said the impeachment inquiry will be led by Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) “in coordination with” Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO).
“We’ll follow the facts, the constitution, and the law,” Jordan said in a post to X, adding that McCarthy “is right to launch this impeachment inquiry.”
The announcement indicates a change of plans for McCarthy, who recently told Breitbart News that the House moving forward with an impeachment inquiry would be done with a floor vote, which was not guaranteed to succeed as some Republican members have expressed skepticism about the effort. But it tracks with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) unilaterally announcing the first impeachment inquiry against former President Trump in 2019.
McCarthy outlined possible articles of impeachment that could result from the inquiry, including abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. But even if the House ends up impeaching Biden, conviction in the Senate appears unlikely at the present with Democrats in control and some GOP members warning against moving too quickly without sufficient evidence.
Biden is in the midst of running a 2024 campaign for a second term in the White House and may have a 2020 rematch against Trump in the general election.
Democrats have already begun to denigrate the impeachment push. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement on Monday that the information so far gathered by Republicans “overwhelmingly demonstrates no wrongdoing by President Biden and further debunks Republicans’ conspiracy theories.”
The White House put together a “war room” comprised of a couple dozen lawyers, legislative aides, and communications staffers in preparation for an impeachment probe. Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House, posted a thread to X on Tuesday insisting that the GOP investigations have “turned up no evidence of wrongdoing” by Biden and that an impeachment inquiry is “red meat for the extreme rightwing.”
Across committee-level investigations, House Republicans have uncovered a pattern of millions of dollars flowing from foreign nationals to members of Biden’s family, raising concerns about bribery and influence peddling. They have also dug into the Department of Justice investigation into Biden’s son Hunter and questioned whether prosecutors have given the first son special treatment.
“Through the course of our Constitutional oversight duties, House Republicans have uncovered substantial evidence showing that Joe Biden has potentially committed multiple impeachable offenses,” House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said in a statement.
“Since July, I have supported Speaker McCarthy’s consideration of an impeachment inquiry to ensure the House is at the apex of our Constitutional power, allowing us to uncover the facts on behalf of the American people,” she added. “Transparency is a hallmark of our Constitutional Republic, and I am committed to ensuring that we uncover the truth about what I believe will prove to be the biggest political corruption and criminal scandal in our nation’s history.”