Thursday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the formal launching of an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden, amidst a complex political climate in which conservative House Republicans are demanding budget cuts.
McCarthy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that House investigators have uncovered a “culture of corruption” encircling Biden and his family in relation to son Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” McCarthy wrote. “Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct — a culture of corruption.”
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
Thursday was widely predicted to be the day of the change. Punchbowl News, a Washington-based online news source, reported on Tuesday that McCarthy planned to tell Republican House members during a closed-door meeting on Thursday that a formal impeachment inquiry is the “logical next step” of ongoing committee-level investigations into the president and his son Hunter Biden.
McCarthy, who is under pressure from GOP conservatives, is anticipated to inform Republican members that sufficient information has been uncovered to establish a formal procedure with the authority to subpoena Biden family members’ bank records and other documents.
Similar to the budget process, the impeachment procedure has multiple Republican Party currents.
Moderate Republicans, such as Representatives Ken Buck of Colorado and Don Bacon of Nebraska, have stated that they do not believe the current facts warrant impeachment.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, a conservative Republican from Florida, has stated that if McCarthy fails to initiate an official investigation, he will begin the process of removing McCarthy as speaker.
The impeachment investigation is inextricably intertwined with the budget adoption process.
As reported by Axios on Tuesday, some conservatives have stated that they will not vote for budget measures until an impeachment investigation has commenced.
CNN reports that Senate Republicans such as West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville, and Florida’s Marco Rubio are opposed to impeachment, so even if an investigation is launched, it seems unlikely that anything will be accomplished.
McCarthy stated on Monday that there are constant new revelations, referencing the president’s use of false identities in emails to his son Hunter Biden while he was vice president, as reported by NBC.
“It only raises more and more questions, and we’re gonna have to find the answers,” McCarthy said. “And this is all information that just has been coming forward that we’ve been able to find out. But the other information is we find that the Biden family delays everything. It benefits them to delay the information. The American public deserves to know.”
Fox News reports that some conservatives in the House say that even pursuing impeachment will not change their resolve to force budget cuts, even if it means a government suspension when the current budget expires at the end of the month.
Fox reports that conservative Republican Representative Dan Bishop of North Carolina has accused McCarthy of “dangling” impeachment in order to keep Republicans in line on the budget.
Other conservatives display agitation.
“Hiding behind impeachment to screw America with status quo massive funding … will not end well,” Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said earlier this month, according to Fox.
“You’re not going to trade one for the other with me, and I think a lot of members feel that way,” Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who chairs the conservative Freedom Caucus said, according a Washington Post report published Tuesday.
“We’re asking for a very modest change in the status quo,” Perry said. “And, oh, by the way, it’s one that the speaker agreed to in January.”
The Post, citing sources it said were lawmakers and senior advisers to leaders, reported that the most likely outcome of all the arguments is to delay the day of reckoning by authorizing a continuing resolution to finance the government through the end of October while budget issues are discussed.