As Republicans in the House of Representatives are increasingly discussing launching impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden and other members of his administration, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is signaling apprehension.
Mr. McConnell recently said the two Democrat-led impeachments of President Donald Trump in 2020 and 2021, respectively, had incentivized Republicans to follow similar measures against the Democrat currently occupying the Oval Office, but that such actions are ultimately not good for the country.
“I said two years ago, when we had not one but two impeachments, that once we go down this path it incentivizes the other side to do the same thing,” Mr. McConnell said in comments reported by the New York Times on Tuesday.
The Republican Senate leader said “impeachment ought to be rare, rather than common,” but added, “I’m not surprised that having been treated the way they were, House Republicans last Congress began to open up the possibility of doing it again. And I think this is not good for the country to have repeated impeachment problems.”
Mr. McConnell did not provide further comment when asked by NTD News whether he believes Republicans have a viable impeachment case against President Biden, based on the standards shown in the two prior impeachments of President Trump. Mr. McConnell voted against impeaching President Trump in both cases.
NTD News reached out to Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about his thoughts on the standards for impeachment, having favored the two impeachments against President Trump. Mr. Schumer’s office did not respond by the time this article was published.
Republicans Offer Mixed Views on Impeachments
After Republicans gained control of the House in January, members of the majority side began submitting articles of impeachment against Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, alleging he lied under oath about having operational control over the U.S. southern border.
Last month, amid accusations the U.S. Department of Justice had impeded criminal investigations into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the Republican majority could impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland, telling Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, “It sure looks like we’re moving in that direction at a pretty quick pace.”
In June, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) introduced a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against President Biden, but the move divided the Republican House majority. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated his primary concern with Ms. Boebert’s resolution was one of timing, as Republicans continue to investigate allegations that President Biden engaged in influence peddling with his family. Rather than putting Ms. Boebert’s resolution to a direct vote, House Republicans sidestepped the issue by sending the resolution to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees for further evaluation.
While Mr. McConnell has now spoken publicly about his concerns with House Republican impeachment efforts, Mr. McCarthy has signaled an impeachment inquiry against President Biden may still be in the cards. In a July 24 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Mr. McCarthy praised Republican investigative efforts into the Biden family, stating, “We would know none of this if Republicans had not taken the majority.”
“This is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress with the strongest power to obtain the knowledge and information needed for oversight,” Mr. McCarthy added.
Reacting directly to Mr. McConnell’s comment about impeachment on Tuesday night, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) told Fox Business, “Well, I don’t think it’s good for the country, of course, and there’s a lot of other things we should be working on, but we have a responsibility per the Constitution of oversight.”
Mr. Fitzgeral said he understood Mr. McConnell’s opposition to impeachment, but said not pursuing an impeachment inquiry would be “shirking our responsibility” of congressional oversight.
In an interview with NBC News, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a swing-district Republican, signaled some reservations with the evidence Republicans have against President Biden so far. “I don’t think it’s there at the moment, but these committees are doing their job.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), another swing-district Republican, told NBC News he felt the investigations thus far have raised “serious questions of impropriety” and welcomed continued investigations. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who represents a Democrat-leaning district, said he feels the process of impeachment is becoming a vote of no confidence, adding, “I don’t want to see our country go down that path.”
Potential Avenue for Impeachment
In a new appearance on Fox News on Monday night, Mr. McCarthy again said House Republican investigations are nearing the threshold for an impeachment inquiry and signaled Republicans may seek the president’s bank statements next.
Last week, Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer testified that while serving as vice president, Joe Biden joined business calls that his son was on, and appeared at in-person dinner meetings with Hunter Biden’s foreign business partners.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee released bank records, detailing $20 million in foreign payments to Hunter Biden and his business partners. One apparent wire payment to Hunter Biden came from Kazakhstani businessman Kenes Rakishev on April 22, 2014. Mr. Archer testified that Mr. Rakishev attended a dinner at the Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2014 and that Joe Biden was present for the interaction.
The House Oversight Committee disclosed another $3.5 million transfer from Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina to Hunter Biden and Mr. Archer in February 2014. Mr. Archer testified that Ms. Baturina was also present at the meeting at the same Cafe Milano just weeks later, where Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, and Mr. Rakishev were in attendance.
During his interviews with Mr. Archer, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) contended that Hunter Biden sold his business partners an “illusion of access” to his father and that the elder Biden’s interactions with his son’s business partners were always casual and never touched on business directly.
President Biden’s own bank records could indicate whether or not he also had financial ties with Hunter Biden’s business partners. In his Fox News appearance on Monday, Mr. McCarthy said President Biden should “give us his bank statements” to clear up any doubts about his connection with his son’s business transactions.
“I think there’s enough proof out there that this Biden family needs to come forward and show there wasn’t a pay-to-play,” Mr. McCarthy added.
White House spokesman Ian Sams has pushed back on Mr. McCarthy’s comments this week, accusing the House speaker of lying.
“Instead of pursuing this shameless and baseless impeachment stunt, House Republicans and Speaker McCarthy should join the president to work on continuing to bring down inflation and lower costs, create jobs, and grow the economy,” Mr. Sams said in a widely circulated press statement. “That is, after all, what the American people sent their leaders to Washington to do.”