House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) publicly backed an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden despite hesitation from centrist members of her party.
Stefanik criticized the Biden administration for its lack of cooperation with Republican investigations into the president’s family, namely Hunter Biden, telling Fox News on Thursday morning that she "absolutely" supports an inquiry into Joe Biden. The comments come days after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) hinted at a future impeachment inquiry as an option GOP leaders were considering.
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“I’m in conversations with Speaker McCarthy and all of our members, and the important thing to know about impeachment inquiry is that it ensures that the House is at the apex of its power and oversight responsibility,” Stefanik said. “We know that this White House, this Department of Justice, they are trying to cover up for Hunter Biden and ultimately Joe Biden.”
Stefanik cited instances of what she said is the White House backtracking on its own statements regarding Hunter Biden’s financial dealings, arguing an impeachment inquiry is the only way for lawmakers to “get all the facts.”
The chairwoman pointed to changes in language the White House has used when discussing the Hunter Biden investigations, noting that although officials initially said the president “never spoke to his son” about business dealings, the White House said this week Joe Biden has never “been in business” with those operations.
“That is a significant change,” Stefanik said. “The White House press secretary lied to the American people to say, ‘Oh, no, it’s the same position we’ve always had.’”
McCarthy first hinted at a possible impeachment inquiry earlier this week over allegations Joe Biden engaged in financial misconduct with his son Hunter. Those claims are currently under investigation by House Republicans, an investigation Democrats have denounced as politicized.
Although the speaker acknowledged those investigations have not yet uncovered any criminal action, McCarthy argued an impeachment inquiry would provide the resources necessary “to know the truth.”
McCarthy clarified he is not yet planning to open an impeachment inquiry. Rather, he was just airing the option as a possibility in the future.
“It wasn't an announcement,” McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday. “I simply said that the actions that I'm seeing by this administration, withholding the agencies from being able to work with us, that would rise to the level of an impeachment inquiry. We still have a number of investigations going forward.”
News of a possible impeachment inquiry has split the Republican conference, with some members pushing to move ahead with such proceedings while others are more cautious.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called for an inquiry to be opened against President Biden, accusing Democrats of weaponizing the federal government against conservatives while dismissing allegations against their own party.
“What I'm demanding is that the Republican-led House of Representatives move forward on an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden because this type of corruption should never be allowed to stand,” Greene said. “We must expunge President Trump's wrongful impeachments, and we must impeach Joe Biden.”
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However, centrist Republicans are less convinced, particularly those running for reelection in competitive districts. Those lawmakers argue it’s too early to consider impeachment, claiming such a move would be similar to Democrats’ proceedings against former President Donald Trump.
“I believe Speaker McCarthy and I agree that we should allow the Judiciary and Oversight committees to continue to investigate to see if bribery allegations are true,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told the Washington Examiner. “It’s too early for an impeachment inquiry, but if allegations prove true, then we should proceed. Speaker Pelosi lowered the threshold for impeachments, and we should not fall into the same trap. Let’s thoroughly investigate first and get to the facts.”