After spending nearly two months away from Congress, House Republicans returned from recess this week only to turn their backs on the American people’s top priorities and launch a bogus, evidence-free impeachment inquiry without even holding a vote in the House. In numerous press conferences and media appearances, Republicans claimed their impeachment inquiry was justified by a supposed wealth of evidence they have uncovered over the past nine months. Well, we’ve got news for McCarthy, Comer, and Stefanik: their attempted justification for an impeachment inquiry is based on numerous lies that have been repeatedly debunked and disproven by independent fact checkers and their own witnesses. But they couldn’t care any less. They would rather do the bidding of Donald Trump than address the issues facing their constituents, like the costs of healthcare and the economy.
Instead of focusing on an impending deadline for funding the government and the top priorities of everyday Americans, it is clear that House Republicans are just engaged in one partisan game after another instead of real governance addressing the top issues facing our country. This will no doubt backfire on the Biden-18 and Republicans as a whole.
Watch Congressional Integrity Project’s new reel highlighting the lack of evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden here.
Congressional Integrity Project: Kevin McCarthy and James Comer’s Lies to Support a Baseless Impeachment Inquiry. “This morning, Speaker McCarthy, Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY), and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) spoke to the press on their plans to barrel ahead with a baseless impeachment inquiry without holding a vote in the House. Speaker McCarthy said ‘President Biden lied to the American people about knowledge of his family’s foreign business dealings.’ Well, we’ve got news for McCarthy, Comer, and Stefanik: their attempted justification for an impeachment inquiry is based on numerous lies that have been repeatedly debunked and disproven by independent fact checkers and their own witnesses. After eight months of Congressional investigations, 12,000 pages of documents reviewed, and every subpoena answered, there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden.” [Congressional Integrity Project, 9/13/23]
Washington Post: “Republicans Have Claimed That Biden Sought Shokin’s Removal To Benefit The Ukrainian Energy Giant Burisma, Where Hunter Biden Was A Board Director. But The Body Of Evidence Shows [Otherwise].” “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) this week directed House committees to begin an impeachment inquiry into Biden, with one area of focus whether Biden pushed to fire Shokin to benefit his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings. Republicans have claimed that Biden sought Shokin’s removal to benefit the Ukrainian energy giant Burisma, where Hunter Biden was a board director. But the body of evidence shows that Shokin failed to act against Burisma, to the distress of many senior U.S. officials who at the time closely tracked whether he was meeting certain benchmarks. Shokin had not, for example, reinstated a case involving Burisma’s owner, Mykola Zlochevsky, that had been bungled by the prosecutor general’s office, allowing for a $23 million freeze on Zlochevsky’s assets to lapse in Britain.” [Washington Post, 9/15/23]
CNN: “House Republicans Have Not Presented Any Proof That Joe Biden Ever Profited Off His Son’s Business Deals Or Was Influenced While In Office By His Son’s Business Dealings.” “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made several unproven claims Tuesday while announcing the opening of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden […] House Republicans have not presented any proof that Joe Biden ever profited off his son’s business deals or was influenced while in office by his son’s business dealings.” [CNN, 9/13/23]
FactCheck.org: “There Is Currently No Proof” To Back Up Republicans’ Allegations Against President Biden. “But as we have written, there is currently no proof that Joe Biden was involved in the business deals of his son, Hunter, or that the president ever benefited from those deals or ever used his position as vice president to assist the companies on his son’s behalf […] Even a handful of Republican House members have stated publicly that there isn’t enough evidence to move forward with an impeachment inquiry.” [FactCheck.org, 9/13/23]
The New York Times: “There’s Little To Back Up Their Allegations.” “Republicans claim they have unearthed evidence of wrongdoing by the president and his family that could rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. In fact, there’s little to back up their allegations.” [New York Times, 9/12/23]
Congressional Integrity Project: FACT CHECK: McCarthy Unilaterally Launches Baseless Impeachment Inquiry Without a Floor Vote. “This morning, Speaker McCarthy announced that he would direct the House Oversight Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee to begin a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden without holding a vote in the House. After eight months of Congressional investigations, 12,000 pages of documents reviewed, and every subpoena answered, there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. A wide range of House Republicans from House Freedom Caucus Member Ken Buck to Biden 18 Members Mike Lawler and Don Bacon agree there is not enough evidence to move forward with impeachment. Speaker McCarthy attempted to justify the impeachment inquiry with six lies that have been repeatedly disproven and fact checked by independent fact checkers…” [Congressional Integrity Project, 9/12/23]
The Washington Post: “Republicans Have Drilled Many Dry Holes, But You Would Not Know That From Some Of The Rhetoric.” “Republicans have been tantalized by suggestions in some emails — such as a reference to Hunter holding money for an unnamed ‘big guy’ — that Joe Biden had a secret role in Hunter’s business deals. The emails have helped prove that Joe Biden sometimes attended or dropped by meals at which some of Hunter’s overseas partners appeared. On at least 20 occasions over a decade, Archer said, Hunter put his father on speaker phone while meeting with business partners or clients. Archer said Hunter sold the illusion of access to his father, but the president was not involved in business deals or even business discussions. Republicans have drilled many dry holes, but you would not know that from some of the rhetoric. For instance, Republicans say they have discovered that the ‘Biden family’ earned $20 million from ‘foreign sources’, but most of that money went to business associates of Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden himself earned about $7.5 million, while documents have also pointed to earnings by some other family members, such as Joe Biden’s brother and daughter-in-law. No money has been traced to Joe Biden. [The Washington Post, 9/12/23]
House Oversight Committee Democrats: “House Republicans Have Mischaracterized, Cherry-Picked, And Concealed Evidence And Recycled Long Debunked Conspiracy Theories.” “House Republicans constantly insist that they are investigating President Biden, and not his adult son. In that case, we can form an obvious judgment on their investigation: it has been a complete and total bust—an epic flop in the history of congressional investigations. The voluminous evidence they have gathered, including thousands of pages of bank records and suspicious activity reports and hours of testimony from witnesses, overwhelmingly demonstrates no wrongdoing by President Biden and further debunks Republicans’ conspiracy theories. Rather than admit this unavoidable truth about their failed investigation, House Republicans have mischaracterized, cherry-picked, and concealed evidence and recycled long debunked conspiracy theories originally peddled by Rudy Giuliani and Trump, all in humiliating subservience to Donald Trump’s petulant demand that they impeach President Biden. ‘In the face of Republicans’ shameful perversion of congressional power and misuse of taxpayer dollars for this hopeless wild goose chase, Committee Democrats will continue to defend the truth, the rule of law, and the integrity of our Constitution and democratic institutions.’” [House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Democrats Press Release, 9/11/23]