With pressure mounting on President Joe Biden in regard to the questionable foreign business dealings of his son Hunter and other members of his family, a number of House Republicans are pushing to launch an impeachment inquiry in the near future, while other members of the GOP remain unsure, as The Hill reports.
Though consensus on the question has yet to be reached, there are those within the Republican delegation who believe that such a process ought to be initiated as soon as September.
Speaking to the outlet on the topic, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) suggested that there really is no time like the present to seek answers to lingering questions about the Bidens.
“It's a must. I mean, if not now, when?” Norman asked.
Things got even more interesting on Sunday, when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) weighed in on the subject during an appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, as NBC News noted.
Speaking to host Maria Bartiromo, McCarthy focused on recent developments in his party's probe of the Bidens, specifically mentioning the discovery of 76 suspicious activity reports from accounts connected to the first family, evidence of numerous shell companies that funneled money to those accounts, and whistleblower statements regarding bribery.
Bartiromo asked the speaker directly whether he has sufficient votes to kick off the inquiry process, a question that has been on the minds of many in recent days as new revelations about potential wrongdoing continue to emerge. “When we go back, we will discuss this,” McCarthy declared.
The California Republican continued, “If you look at all the information we have been able to gather so far, it is a natural step forward that you would have to go to an impeachment inquiry.”
Even so, it is clear that plenty of Republicans in Congress are still unpersuaded that an impeachment inquiry is the correct course of action at this point in time.
As The Hill noted, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) stated, “I think before we move on to [an] impeachment inquiry, we should...there should be a direct link to the president in some evidence.”
“We should have some clear evidence of a high crime or misdemeanor, not just assuming there may be one. I think we need to have more concrete evidence to go down that path,” Bacon added.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) seemed to be emblematic of lawmakers who are on the fence about whether pursuing Biden in this manner is a wise strategic move.
Referencing the recent appointment of David Weiss as special counsel probing Hunter Biden, Armstrong said, “If DOJ is going to use the excuse of, 'We're in an active investigation, so we're providing you nothing – now, four years later, they've decided to investigate this? – I mean, I have a real tactical problem with that. So, [if] the inquiry helps us there specifically with the DOJ, then I can see myself being willing to support it.”
Focusing on whether there is in fact, any strategic benefit to be gained by launching an inquiry, Armstrong added, “The question is, what tactical advantage does that give House Republicans in getting the information we're asking for? If it helps us do that, then we should do it. And if it doesn't, then we should be very cautious of it, because there are positives and negatives politically, she continued, surely echoing the sentiments of those who still lack McCarthy's – and others' – seemingly growing enthusiasm for initiating an inquiry many believe is long overdue.
