On Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated his belief that Republicans possess the necessary votes to initiate a formal investigation into President Joe Biden’s impeachment.
Regarding an impeachment investigation spearheaded by the Republicans, Johnson stated, “I believe we will,” in an interview with Fox News. I don’t think any Democrats will lend a hand, but I think they should.
“We cannot stop the process,” Johnson said, adding that Republicans “have a duty to do this.”
Republican committee chairs and top Republicans laid out their case for an inquiry vote on Friday, claiming it would give them more leverage in court and accusing the president’s administration of “stonewalling” their investigation into his son’s international business dealings, an accusation that the administration has strongly denied.
Johnson, who was joined by House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik, asserted that the investigation would not be utilised as a political weapon based on party affiliation.
“When the Democrats exploited it for blatantly partisan political goals, Elise and I were both members of Donald Trump’s impeachment defence team twice. That usage was damned by us. “This is very different,” Johnson remarked.
“Now we’re facing delays caused by the White House as they are trying to conceal evidence from the National Archives and are preventing at least two or three witnesses from the Department of Justice from testifying,” he stated. “At this point, I believe it is essential that we conduct a formal impeachment inquiry vote on the floor so that we can move forward.”
Up until now, Republicans in the House have sought and failed to secure the necessary votes to formally initiate an investigation into Biden’s potential impeachment.
It has been apparent that the conference is divided over whether there is evidence to impeach the president, but in September, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy urged his committees to launch a formal investigation into Biden’s impeachment in response to mounting pressure from his right flank.
Stefanik stated, “the only correct response to a subpoena is a deposition.” This was in reference to Hunter Biden’s attorneys’ desire for an open hearing rather than a deposition, which the judge deemed “unacceptable.”
The Democrats will have five minutes and the Republicans will have five minutes each at an open hearing. “It turns into a great opportunity for the public press,” Stefanik stated. “The only way to approach this from a legal and factual standpoint is to conduct a deposition,” the attorney said.
This sets a standard, Johnson said. “Public testimony has always followed a deposition in every contemporary investigation of Congress. At this point, why would we deviate from that pattern?
