There has been a wave of articles this afternoon surfacing remarks from Republicans, both members of Congress and senators alike, acknowledging publicly that House Republicans’ push for a vote to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry amounts to a political stunt.
The White House even sent out a memo rounding up the various examples of statements today, which included Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) saying, “There’s been no evidence provided to the public yet or certainly to me” to justify an impeachment inquiry, as well as quotes from the very House Republicans who will have to weigh in on the matter as soon as Wednesday.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told reporters “probably not” when asked Tuesday morning whether President Biden had committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Republican Main Street Caucus chair Dusty Johnson (R-SD) told reporters Tuesday, “there’s not evidence to impeach” and that “we have had enough political impeachments in this country.”
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) also told reporters, “I don’t think that’s a foregone conclusion,” emphasizing that opening an impeachment inquiry doesn’t mean the House will actually impeach. Rep. Ken Buck, (R-CO) who has spoken out against impeachment from the start, made similar remarks on CNN.
“I’m struggling now, I have to tell you,” he told CNN Monday night. “On one hand I have come out strongly and said there is no direct evidence linking President Biden to the activities of Hunter Biden,” he continued, before explaining that he may feel compelled to support an inquiry vote if it helps enforce House Republican subpoenas.
Other House Republicans who have spoken out about the lack of evidence have taken a similar tone — while they acknowledge they haven’t seen any evidence to justify an impeachment inquiry, they’re still going to authorize it on the House floor.
Newhouse and Johnson reportedly indicated as much in public remarks from the Hill today as well, according to The Messenger.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., also said he would support the impeachment inquiry as a “necessary step” and viewed it as a “kind of a formality” to give investigators the strongest tools to conduct the probe. But Newhouse, one of two House Republicans left in Congress who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, insisted the opening of an inquiry does not mean the House will eventually vote to impeach Biden.
“House Republicans have been at this for a year and have turned up zero evidence of wrongdoing, because there isn’t any evidence of wrongdoing,” the White House concluded in the memo Tuesday. “Yet they still want to keep their fishing expedition going in order to satisfy their far-right base. They know they don’t have proof against the President, but they’re plowing ahead anyways – showing yet again that this stunt is all politics, no evidence.”
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What We Are Reading
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FBI arrests an ‘internet pornography personality’ on Jan. 6 charges — NBC News
