House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fiery 4-minute Tuesday declaration catapulted the House GOP into the realm of an impeachment inquiry targeting President Joe Biden. However, the real cliffhanger lies in whether he can sway his toughest audience: his own party members.
In a dramatic twist during the announcement, McCarthy indicated that he wouldn’t face the arduous task of securing a majority of Republican votes for the inquiry. Departing from his prior commitment to a floor vote, McCarthy declared on Tuesday that he would “direct” committees to “open a formal impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.”
The message was crystal clear: the GOP leader doesn’t plan to hold a vote; he has set the wheels of inquiry in motion.
Yet, the unspoken truth lingers—the majority support for this inquiry remains uncertain. Several GOP members, mainly centrists, harbor skepticism regarding the party’s ability to gather enough evidence for an impeachment vote. Their concern stems from the absence of a direct link between Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.
Representative Don Bacon, one of 18 GOP incumbents representing districts won by Joe Biden in 2020, expressed his lack of support for an impeachment inquiry. Nevertheless, he believes that utilizing it to gain more investigative powers could garner support within the party, especially among McCarthy loyalists.
But McCarthy’s real challenge lies in appeasing the conservative wing during private conference meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. It’s among these conservative members that he faces the most opposition and a potential threat to his leadership position.
McCarthy’s Tuesday announcement regarding the impeachment inquiry may not suffice to quell the conservatives’ frustrations. Some demand a tougher stance on spending cuts before the looming September 30 shutdown deadline.
Representative Dan Bishop of North Carolina views McCarthy’s move as a mere bargaining chip to secure concessions on spending, a strategy that conservatives find unconvincing.
Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida issued a warning that McCarthy’s announcement was only a “baby step” and questioned its authenticity. Moreover, it may not be the end of McCarthy’s challenges, as one senior House Republican predicted a stormy conference meeting on Wednesday, unrelated to impeachment but fueled by concerns about spending and McCarthy’s leadership.
Despite threats to his speakership, McCarthy remains unfazed. He brushed off Gaetz’s warnings, stating, “Matt’s Matt,” and expressed no concerns about holding onto his position.
Nonetheless, Gaetz isn’t the only hardliner issuing threats to dethrone McCarthy, either over the sluggish progress on Biden impeachment or the failure to push through spending cuts beyond the bipartisan debt limit deal earlier this year.
In recent interviews with ultraconservatives, McCarthy’s vulnerability is underscored as he navigates a funding showdown with Democrats and a new impeachment inquiry.
McCarthy contends that the impeachment inquiry vote is a strategic move to bolster Oversight Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan in compelling the administration and the Biden family to produce critical documents. Subpoenas targeting Biden family members or their financial records are on the horizon.
“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption,” McCarthy emphasized. “And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.”
While conservative members maintain a tough stance, others within McCarthy’s conference grow wary of how these dual crises could impact their slim majority. They fear that rushing into Biden’s impeachment could jeopardize their prospects in the 2022 midterm elections, especially in districts won by Biden.
House Republicans will convene a second meeting later in the week to strategize their investigative approach as they strive to win over reluctant members.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stressed that an inquiry doesn’t equate to impeachment but offers the House more investigative authority. She urged her colleagues to support the inquiry.
Looking ahead to the 2024 campaign, one senior House Republican anticipates a lengthy inquiry, ideally culminating around the time of the convention to damage Joe Biden’s image.
However, the challenge remains: while investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings have unveiled misconduct, establishing a direct connection between Hunter and President Biden’s actions remains elusive.
The senior Republican supporting the inquiry predicts most members will endorse a formal investigation. Still, the crucial link between Hunter and the president, necessary for recommending Biden’s removal from office, has yet to materialize.
Amidst the political turbulence, the House GOP teeters on the edge of a new chapter, with the fate of McCarthy’s leadership and the impeachment inquiry hanging in the balance.
