The White House says that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s plans to move forward with an impeachment inquiry are baseless, accusing him of simply trying to throw “red meat” to “right-wing” Republicans.
It was the second time in as many days the White House has pushed back on Republicans’ plans to advance an impeachment probe of President Biden. On Thursday, White House spokesperson Ian Sams condemned Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, who said she won’t vote to fund the government unless the House opens up an impeachment inquiry.
Mr. Sams took aim at Mr. McCarthy on Friday, accusing him of dangling the impeachment inquiry to appease far-right Republicans.
“If Speaker McCarthy proceeds to an impeachment simply to throw red meat to the right wing as a condition for or distraction from far-right GOP efforts to shut down the government, it will prove once and for all that this is a baseless, politically motivated exercise not rooted in evidence about getting to the truth,” Mr. Sams said.
The White House also highlighted comments from other Republican lawmakers who said they don’t support moving forward with impeachment. It cited Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and an anonymous GOP lawmaker who told Fox News that Mr. McCarthy was using “impeachment to distract from the issues that he has with the appropriation bills.”
Mr. Sams said House Republicans have “wasted time and millions of taxpayer dollars” probing Mr. Biden and his family’s business dealings, calling it a “wild goose chase” that has turned up “zero evidence to support their outlandish and false allegations.”
Mr. McCarthy was initially reluctant to launch an impeachment inquiry but has changed his tune in recent days, increasingly signaling that it could begin later this month when the House returns from its summer recess.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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