After much back and forth, Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed that the House of Representatives will vote to authorize the impeachment of Joe Biden. The Speaker also accused the White House of trying to obstruct the investigation, pointing out that Hunter Biden could go to jail if he refuses to testify in front of lawmakers.
Johnson, who got to keep the gavel after the Matt Gaetz-driven removal of Kevin McCarthy, weighed in Tuesday at a press conference.
"We have come to this sort of inflection point, because right now the White House is stonewalling that investigation. They're refusing to turn over key witnesses to allow them to testify as they've been subpoenaed, they're refusing to turn over thousands of documents from the National Archives, and the House has no choice … [but] to formally adopt an impeachment inquiry on the floor so that when the subpoenas are challenged in court, we will be at the apex of our constitutional authority," he said.
Mike Johnson on Biden impeachment:
"While we take no pleasure in the proceedings here, we have a responsibility to do it. We owe it to the American people to continue this process but to do it methodically and transparently." pic.twitter.com/pN24iJPBNX
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 29, 2023
At the same time, he addressed the situation of moderate Republicans, who so far did not seem very convinced with the idea of impeachment of the president.
"This vote is not a vote to impeach President Biden, this is a vote to continue the inquiry of impeachment and that's a necessary constitutional step. Whether someone is for or against impeachment is of no import right now. We have to continue our legal responsibility", the Republican continued.
The investigation, based on how the president allegedly made money overseas while he was Barack Obama's vice president, accelerated in recent weeks after James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, formally subpoenaed Hunter Biden, his uncle James and some business associates.
"This impeachment inquiry … continues to provide the American people with the answers they both demand and deserve. They have found over $10 million from China, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania funneled through the corrupt influence-peddling schemes to line the pockets of the Biden crime family," Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) recently indicated.
