President Joe Biden dismissed House Republicans’ move to open an impeachment inquiry, saying the GOP has long been looking for an excuse to bring charges against him.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden dismissed House Republicans’ move to open an impeachment inquiry, saying the GOP has long been looking for an excuse to bring charges against him.
“I tell you what, I don’t know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me,” Biden said Wednesday in his first comments on the Republican probe. “And now, best I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government.”
Speaking to campaign donors at a fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, Biden pointed to Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s decision to file articles of impeachment against him right as the GOP took control of the House as evidence the move was preordained.
Earlier: McCarthy Launches Biden Impeachment Probe, Alleging Corruption
Biden’s remarks follow Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision on Tuesday to launch an impeachment probe into what the House Republican leader called a “culture of corruption” surrounding Biden — a move that will cast a shadow over the 2024 election. Biden’s allies have said Republicans have not mustered evidence the president was involved in any corrupt dealings.
The president said he would not let the impeachment process distract him, even as the GOP move threatens to overshadow work in both his administration and on Capitol Hill.
“Everybody always asks about impeachment,” Biden said. “I get up every day — not a joke, not focused on impeachment. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to deal with the issues that affect the American people, every single solitary day.”
The inquiry will focus on the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, and whether President Biden was involved or benefited from those deals, as well as other potential issues, according to a House official familiar with the plans. The White House has said Biden was not involved in Hunter’s business.
Republicans have also accused Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department, citing the federal indictments against former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and alleged mishandling of classified documents.
The impeachment moves come amid a budget fight with government funds set to expire Sept. 30. Conservatives in the House are pressuring McCarthy to give in to their demands for deeper spending cuts, tougher border and migration enforcement efforts and reductions or a halt to funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
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