Centrist Republicans embrace Biden impeachment inquiry despite political risks
Cami Mondeaux
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Vulnerable House Republicans are lining up behind Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) decision to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden despite the perceived political risks heading into a critical election cycle.
McCarthy announced on Tuesday that he would direct the heads of key committees to open a formal investigation into the president, following through with demands from his right flank to uncover any criminal wrongdoing. The speaker greenlighted the decision without holding a vote, shielding some of his most vulnerable members from having to take a stance on the politically fraught matter as they seek reelection in competitive districts.
MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
Several Republican lawmakers running next year in districts Biden won have nonetheless come out in support of such an inquiry despite being slower to warm to the idea as House Republicans attempt to gather evidence linking the president to alleged influence peddling by members of his family.
The Congressional Integrity Project is already seizing on the opportunity to highlight that support, according to a newly released report from the left-leaning group that was first obtained by the Washington Examiner.
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The group is targeting 18 House Republicans who represent districts Biden won in 2020, expected to be some of the most competitive races of the next election cycle. The report cites statements from lawmakers in which they either brushed off the prospect of an impeachment inquiry or vowed to focus on other matters despite now embracing McCarthy’s decision.
“When the Biden 18 ran for Congress, they promised the American people that they would focus on important issues like healthcare and inflation,” Kyle Herrig, executive director of the CIP, told the Washington Examiner. “Since taking office, they’ve made clear through nonstop partisan political stunts that those promises were lies. Impeachment is their latest and greatest stunt. While McCarthy is trying to avoid a vote on an impeachment inquiry to save the Biden 18 from going on the record, the American people deserve to know where they stand on an evidence-free impeachment, and we plan to hold them accountable for the promises they made to the American people when they ran for their office.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), who flipped a seat in New York last year that helped secure the GOP’s majority in the House, said in late July that he didn’t see enough evidence at the time to open an inquiry. However, shortly after McCarthy’s announcement, the New York Republican said he was “eager” to see where the investigation would lead.
“I’ve spent my career as an NYPD detective and know the value of seeking the truth through finding the facts, and I am eager to find out exactly what the truth is behind the allegations surrounding President Biden and his family,” he told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is among those Republicans who were more cautious but expressed earlier this month that he would support such a move if “the speaker has enough material.” When asked about the inquiry this week, Santos maintained he had “yet to receive any reports of sufficient evidence worthy of impeachment” but would “be in favor” of expanding investigations into a formal inquiry.
“If the committee requires expansion of its scope via an impeachment inquiry, I would be in favor of that,” he said.
But, he warned, “a cheap impeachment that mirrors Pelosi’s political stunt against President Trump last Congress after he left the White House degrades the significance of impeachment standards.”
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) had also expressed openness to an inquiry depending on the evidence but said it needed to advance “through the auspices of due process.” When asked about the inquiry on Tuesday, Garcia said enough evidence was there to move ahead.
“I think we’ve got enough substantiation for it to move forward, we’ve got critical mass,” he told the Hill. “What I tell my constituents is we seek clarity, right, I think that’s what most Americans want is clarity. So, let’s go get all the facts and data behind it. We’ve gotten some but not everything that we want to see.”
Others have remained quiet on the subject, such as Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who told Fox News just last week that Republicans are “not there yet” in terms of having enough evidence to open an inquiry. Lawler declined to answer questions from the Washington Examiner on whether he had taken a new stance.
The impeachment inquiry could come back to haunt those centrist Republicans, however, as a majority of voters, 56%, say it’s politically motivated, compared to just 38% who said it is “more of a serious effort to investigate important problems,” according to a recent poll by the CIP. Most independent voters, or 53%, said the move would amount to a partisan stunt, possibly harming Republicans with a swing voter bloc.
A handful of centrist Republicans continue to oppose the inquiry publicly, including Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who said opening one is premature.
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“As of right now, I do not support an impeachment inquiry,” Bacon told the Washington Examiner. “I believe that an inquiry should be based on evidence of a crime that points directly to President Biden or refusal to cooperate by not providing documents or other evidence. The focus of any impeachment inquiry needs to be on the president, not his son Hunter. We cannot use impeachment as a political weapon against every president. Speaker Pelosi lowered the threshold for impeachments and cut corners. It has set a bad precedent. Watergate demonstrated how to do this right.”
Although centrist Republicans have avoided a recorded vote on an impeachment inquiry, they could be forced to take one if House Republicans eventually vote on impeachment itself, a prospect that appears increasingly likely.