House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) announcement on Sept. 12 that the House will open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden drew a mixed response, with Democrats largely expressing outrage.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the decision “absurd,” saying that “the American people want us to do something that will make their lives better, not go off on these chases, witch hunts,” during a news conference following the announcement.
“I have sympathy with Speaker McCarthy. He’s in a difficult position. But sometimes you have got to tell these people who are way off the deep end … that they can’t go forward with it,” Mr. Schumer said. “I’m disappointed. I think it’s absurd.”
Mr. McCarthy said the inquiry was prompted partly due to allegations of the president’s alleged involvement in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.
“House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct. Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption,” Mr. McCarthy said.
“Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) responded on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “The illegitimate impeachment inquiry launched by Extreme MAGA Republicans is regrettable, reckless, and reprehensible. It is a political revenge tour that lacks any factual or constitutional basis.
“Democrats will defend the truth and fight right-wing extremists at every turn.”
Similarly, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) spoke out on social media.
“This … is Kevin McCarthy’s shiny new object to distract the public from the fact that the GOP can’t even pass bills to fund the government,” Ms. Jayapal said. “So, here we go—headed to an extreme MAGA Republican shutdown while they play political games with a non-starter impeachment.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also had harsh words for the House Republican endeavor, telling The Epoch Times that the inquiry is “politics on steroids” and that “there’s no substance to this.”
“This is all about Speaker McCarthy bowing down to a handful of extremists who will cost him his job if he doesn’t get just as wild and out there as they already are,” she said.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) asserted that the Republican efforts leaned on “MAGA-laced conspiracy theories” that are “stopping us from doing our business.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Mr. McCarthy has “no evidence” to support the inquiry.
Republicans Respond
Among Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to specifically offer support but said he thought it was best for the Senate to do their jobs and “see how this plays out later.”
“I don’t think Speaker McCarthy needs any advice from the Senate on how to run the House,” Mr. Connell told reporters on Sept. 12.
Fellow Republican Mitt Romney (R-Utah) asserted that the inquiry “could have been avoided” with more transparency but, when asked by reporters on Capitol Hill if he specifically supports the measure, said it’s “the House’s undertaking.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Ark.) was firmly in support of the move.
The House needs to be “able to get the facts. When you have credible allegations that the president of the United States was involved in a foreign bribery scheme, that’s pretty bad,” he told The Epoch Times.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) offered qualified support.
“As a member of this body, I have yet to receive any reports of sufficient evidence worthy of impeachment coming from the three House committees investigating President Biden and his family,” he told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. “However, if the committee requires expansion of its scope via an impeachment inquiry, I would be in favor of that.
“A cheap impeachment that mirrors Pelosi’s political stunt against President Trump last Congress after he left the White House degrades the significance of impeachment standards.”
The “House is heading in the right direction” with the inquiry, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told The Epoch Times.
“There’s mounting evidence of ongoing corruption. There’s a web of corruption, and they’re cutting through it, and we’re going to meet tomorrow with the House members who are running the committees.”
Similarly, Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said he thinks it’s “about time” that the House make this move and that he is “glad” Mr. McCarthy decided to move forward with the inquiry.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told The Epoch Times he would “wait to hear more” before responding to the efforts, while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said questions about the inquiry are “too nuanced to answer” at this time and “to be supportive implies that I know that, which I don’t know.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said during an interview posted to X that she wants to see a “very deep dive” and a “detailed investigation” into the current president and others.
“We also need to investigate the web of people that exist in our federal agencies, the FBI, the DOJ, the CIA, and many others, serving not only in this administration, the former administration, and the one before it,” said Ms. Greene, who has been a staunch supporter of an impeachment inquiry.
“We need to find the people that have covered up Joe Biden’s crimes and all of the Biden family’s corruption.”
From The Epoch Times
