Republicans open Biden impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, yielding to mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies in what’s shaping up as an election-year clash between Congress and the White House. In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy said the House investigations into the Biden family this year have uncovered a "culture of corruption" that demands deeper review. "These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption," McCarthy said. McCarthy said he will direct the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to lead the impeachment inquiry. The panels have been working together for months on various probes related to the Biden family and have yet to directly connect the president to any of it.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said House Republicans must "not waste time" and deliver an "ironclad" case to impeach President Biden for the effort to succeed in the Senate.

Tuberville on Tuesday joined a growing chorus of Republican senators who are skeptical of the House GOP impeachment inquiry. He said the Senate "couldn't get the votes" to convict Biden in an impeachment trial but hoped the House at least would get to the truth concerning the abuse of power and corruption allegations made against the president.

"You don’t bring a vote to the floor unless you are pretty sure that you can get the amount of votes that you need," Tuberville said on NBC's "Meet the Press NOW." "I know that wouldn’t make it to anywhere over here in the Senate. That probably wouldn’t even — wouldn’t even let it make it to the floor. But again, this is all up to the House. We got enough problems going on right now."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said House Republicans have "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct" that will serve as the basis of an impeachment inquiry.

"Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden," McCarthy announced in a statement at the Capitol. "This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public."

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks at a press conference on student loans at the U.S. Capitol on June 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Senator spoke on legislation that would curb the increasing cost of higher educatio …

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The allegations against Biden concern the president's role in his son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings and whether the Biden family used Joe Biden's public office for personal profit. The speaker said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will lead the inquiry in coordination with House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

"House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing," a White House spokesman said in a statement. "His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip-flopped because he doesn't have support. Extreme politics at its worst."

As House Republicans move forward with impeachment, several Republican senators have expressed doubts about the effort. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said last week she does not believe there is enough evidence to impeach Biden. Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., similarly questioned whether their House counterparts have alleged high crimes or misdemeanors against Biden specifically, Axios reported.

"I’m not for impeachment unless it is ironclad," he said. "As I said about President Trump, if you’re gonna come after a former president or president, let’s not waste time. Let’s know the truth. Let’s be able to bring it out. Let the American people know."

"We got enough problems up here right now without going through an impeachment process, but they’ll do the right thing," he added, referring to the House. "Hopefully we just find out what’s going on and, and American people get the truth."

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

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