House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has expressed his willingness to entertain the possibility of an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. However, he has emphasized that he will not follow the same course as his predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who oversaw two impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump.
McCarthy, a California Republican, stated on Friday that an impeachment inquiry would only progress with the support of a majority vote in the House of Representatives. The GOP currently holds a slight majority in the House.
“To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives,” McCarthy told Breitbart News in a statement. “That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person.”
McCarthy’s position marks a departure from the approach adopted by Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the first impeachment inquiry against Trump. In 2019, Pelosi independently declared that the House would initiate an impeachment inquiry into the then-president. This decision followed what many Republicans perceived as a contrived controversy surrounding a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“This week, the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically,” Pelosi said on Sept. 24, 2019. “Therefore, today, I’m announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. I’m directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella.
“The president must be held accountable,” she continued. “No one is above the law.”
Initially, the Trump White House declined to cooperate with the investigation, expressing concerns that the full House had not yet held a vote to initiate the inquiry. It was only several weeks later, on October 31, 2019, that the House formally authorized the impeachment inquiry with a vote of 232 to 196.
However, as reported by Fox News, sources have indicated that House Republican leaders are considering commencing an inquiry into President Biden later this month. Allegations under consideration include bribery and other questionable dealings with foreign governments.
During a members-only conference call on Monday night, McCarthy informed GOP lawmakers that an impeachment inquiry represents “the natural progression from our investigations that have been ongoing.” This information was shared by an anonymous Republican lawmaker.
The same lawmaker also revealed that Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) informed members in an earlier call that McCarthy had indicated a floor vote on the matter would occur in September.
“What Jim Jordan said was that McCarthy told him that it was…coming to the floor in September,” the lawmaker said.
In the previous month, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) indicated that it was probable he would issue subpoenas to members of the Biden family to compel their testimony.
“This is always going to end with the Bidens coming in front of the committee. We are going to subpoena the family. We know that this is going to end up in court when we subpoena the Bidens,” he told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
“So we’re putting together a case, and I think we’ve done that very well. We’ve shown the bank records,” he said.
“If I had subpoenaed Joe and Hunter Biden the first day I became chairman of the committee, it would have been tied up in court, and the judge would have eventually thrown it out,” the representative said.
“We have put together a case that I think would stand up in any court of law in America,” he said. “We want to talk to about three or four more associates first. We’ve been communicating with a couple of them.
“We’re trying to bring them in just like we did Devin Archer for a transcribed interview.,” the representative said. “If they don’t come in voluntarily, then they’ll be subpoenaed.
“It’s very difficult. You know how hard the Democrats tried to get Donald Trump. So this is very difficult,” he said.
