House Republicans have launched an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, citing “serious and credible allegations” of corruption in the highest office of the land.
On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced the formal impeachment inquiry, citing the GOP’s determination that “there is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing President Joe Biden lied to the American people about his knowledge and participation in his family’s influence-peddling schemes.”
The inquiry, led by Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), with the help of Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), has yielded evidence including bank records and witness testimony concerning the Biden family’s business dealings. The trio released a joint statement that same day noting the evidence they had compiled.
The White House, however, quickly pushed back against the impeachment inquiry, with spokesman Ian Sams issuing a memo to U.S. news organizations insisting the time has come for the “media to start scrutinizing House Republicans for launching an impeachment probe on false allegations.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also issued a statement denouncing the inquiry, saying there was “not a shred of evidence that President Joe Biden has engaged in wrongdoing.” During a press conference, Jeffries urged Democrats to “defend President Biden until the very end.”
The White House has assembled a “war room” composed of a couple dozen lawyers, legislative aides, and communications staff to fight against the GOP investigations. The war room has reportedly been working around the clock to combat the allegations, though some news organizations have already begun to question the evidence — if any — behind the inquiry.
The New York Times, for instance, said, “Republicans have found no evidence of financial wrongdoing or corruption by the president, but said they have received enough information to warrant more investigation.”
When pressed to provide evidence by a reporter during a news conference, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, instead pointed to a lack of coverage from media outlets. “Because you don’t report on it,” he said.
The White House is still urging the press to take a closer look at the impeachment inquiry calling it a “partisan-led sham” and to dig deeper into the motives behind these investigations.
In the meantime, the House Republicans involved in the impeachment process are gearing up and have let it be known that they’re proceeding with an “open mind” and are determined to uncover the truth.
For now, however, it remains unclear what will come of the investigations. As McCarthy and other GOP members have put it, the public will just have to wait and see.