Republicans have 'duty' to launch Biden impeachment inquiry: US House
3 Min Read
House Speaker Mike Johnson reveals that Republicans have enough votes for a formal impeachment inquiry against US President Joe Biden.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is seen during a ceremonial swearing-in for Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, to the House of Representatives, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Republicans have sufficient votes to approve a formal impeachment inquiry against US President Joe Biden.
Johnson said last month that Republican lawmakers would very soon decide on whether to move forward with impeachment proceedings against the 46th president.
When questioned about the possibility of GOP members initiating such an inquiry, Johnson stated, "I believe we will. I suspect no Democrats will assist in this effort, but they should."
The House Speaker emphasized that Republicans feel a duty to conduct the probe and asserted that they "cannot stop the process." He pledged that GOP lawmakers would not wield the investigation as a partisan political weapon against the Democratic Party.
“[House GOP conference chair] Elise [Stefanik] and I both served on the impeachment defense team of Donald Trump twice, when the Democrats used it for brazen partisan political purposes. We decried that use of it. This is very different,” Johnson noted.
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White House 'stonewalling' investigation
He then referred to recent statements by Republicans about the need for a vote to investigate Biden, arguing that it would strengthen their legal standing in court. In addition, GOP members accused the White House of "stonewalling" their investigation into Biden and his son's foreign business dealings.
Similarly, Johnson said, "now we [Republicans] are being stalled by the White House because they're preventing at least two to three DOJ [Department of Justice] witnesses from coming forward".
“A formal impeachment inquiry vote on the floor will allow us to take it to the next necessary step, and I think it’s something we have to do at this juncture,” Johnson emphasized.
The remarks follow recent reports in US media suggesting that Congressional Republicans are contemplating a vote to sanction a formal impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden in the upcoming weeks.
This comes amid critical calls against Biden for his policies during the war on Gaza and the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip.
A few days ago, the Biden administration was grappling with internal dissent over its support for "Israel's" genocidal operations in Gaza, revealing a deeper debate and a generational divide among Democrats, an op-ed by Abigail Williams and Dan De Luce for NBC News detailed.
This dissent, which includes open letters from government employees, objections from foreign service officers at the State Department, and criticism from US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees, is broader and more pronounced than seen in previous administrations.
"It’s remarkable and it’s unprecedented," said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank who worked at the State Department from 1978 to 2003. "I’ve never seen anything like it."
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Hundreds of federal government employees, including diplomats, have signed an open letter to Biden, demanding that his administration push for a ceasefire to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians. Foreign service officers at the State Department have expressed objections through official dissent cables, and hundreds of USAID employees have signed a letter critical of the administration's approach.
