House Republicans have used the last week to continue sowing discord as a potential government shutdown looms on the horizon. Impeachment appears to be on the forefront of the Corrupt Bargain priorities as Matt Gaetz shot some on-the-record threats to the Speaker after he demanded during an interview that a vote on an impeachment inquiry occur when the House reconvenes, “and if Kevin McCarthy stands in our way, you may not have the job long.” Greene echoed the sentiment in an earlier statement when she claimed she would refuse to vote on any government funding bill unless the House holds a vote on impeachment. Moderate Republicans appear to be significantly more skeptical of impeachment as Rep. Don Bacon told the Hill, “we need concrete evidence to go down that path” and an anonymous House Republican going as far as to tell CNN, “they can’t impeach without that evidence. And I don’t don’t think the evidence exists.” Seems like a good moment for Rep. James Comer to unveil the results of his years-long investigation into the Biden family, but it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen any time soon. McCarthy is back on the hot seat and he should probably take some time to revamp his resume because Rep. Tim Burchett said it best, a motion to vacate is on “the back of everybody’s mind.”
Some House Republicans Are Beginning To Call For Impeachment Or Else… McCarthy Might Want To Start Polishing His Resume
THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN ON SPEAKER MCCARTHY AS REPS. GAETZ AND GREENE BEGIN DEMANDING VOTES ON IMPEACHMENT
HEADLINE: “Scoop: House Republicans Warn Of McCarthy Leadership Challenge” [Axios, 9/6/23]
- House Republicans Like Representative Matt Gaetz Demanded A Vote On Impeachment When The House Reconvenes, “And If Kevin McCarthy Stands In Our Way, You May Not Have The Job Long.” “Some House Republicans are using these threats as leverage to launch an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. ‘When we get back to Washington in the coming weeks, we have got to seize the initiative. That means forcing votes on impeachment. And if Kevin McCarthy stands in our way, you may not have the job long,’ Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.) said during an appearance on The Todd Starnes Show.” [Axios, 9/6/23]
- HEADLINE: “See Matt Gaetz’s Not-So-Veiled Threat Against Kevin McCarthy” [CNN, 9/6/23]
- HEADLINE “Matt Gaetz Sends An Unsubtle Shot Across Kevin McCarthy’s Bow” [MaddowBlog, 9/6/23]
HEADLINE: “Greene Says She Won’t Vote For Government Funding Without Biden Impeachment Inquiry” [The Hill, 8/31/23]
- August 2023: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene Claimed To Vote Against Any Funding Bill Unless The House Holds An Impeachment Inquiry Vote Into President Biden. “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday said she would vote against any government funding bill unless the House holds a vote to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.” [The Hill, 8/31/23]
FACING SKEPTICS ON BOTH SIDES, HOUSE REPUBLICANS ADMIT REMOVING MCCARTHY IS ON EVERYONE’S MIND
HEADLINE: “Kevin McCarthy Faces Impeachment Skeptics In His Own Party” [Huffington Post, 9/5/23]
- Don Bacon Told The Hill He Was Skeptical Of An Impeachment Inquiry, “We Need To Have Concrete Evidence To Go Down That Path.” ‘We should have some clear evidence of a high crime or misdemeanor, not just assuming there may be one,’ Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told The Hill last week. ‘I think we need to have more concrete evidence to go down that path.’” [Huffington Post, 9/5/23]
- An Anonymous House Republican Told CNN, “There No Evidence That Joe Biden Got Money… They Can’t Impeach Without That Evidence. And I Don’t Don’t Think The Evidence Exists.” ‘There’s no evidence that Joe Biden got money, or that Joe Biden, you know, agreed to do something so that Hunter could get money,’ an anonymous House Republican told CNN last week. ‘There’s just no evidence of that. And they can’t impeach without that evidence. And I don’t I don’t think the evidence exists.’” [Huffington Post, 9/5/23]
Rep. Tim Burchett Told Axios That The Motion To Vacate McCarthy Was “In The Back Of Everybody’s Mind” And Claimed “It Wouldn’t Take Much, It Just Takes A Couple Of Votes.” “Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Axios: ‘I think it’s [motion to vacate] in the back of everybody’s mind … If somebody brings that it wouldn’t take much, you know, it just takes a couple of votes.’” [Axios, 9/6/23]
HEADLINE: “Kevin McCarthy’s Days As House Speaker Might Be Numbered” [Vanity Fair, 9/6/23]
It Is Now Or Never For Comer, But He Still Can’t Deliver A Smoking Gun
EVERY NEW THEORY COMER PUTS UP HAS BEEN SWIFTLY SWATTED DOWN BY FACTS, BUT REPUBLICANS MAY IMPEACH WITH NO EVIDENCE
HEADLINE: “James Comer Claims That Biden Pseudonym Email Was Code. That’s Nonsense.” [Washington Post, 9/6/23]
- Comer Alleged An Email Sent By Joe Biden Under A Pseudonym Was Sending A Secret Message To His Son About Firing Ukrainian Prosecutor Viktor Shokin Despite The Email Being Dated Two Months Earlier; After The Ukrainian Parliament Had Already Dismissed Shokin. “Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, is leading the congressional investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings when his father was vice president. Last week, in an interview, he pointed to an email in which he claimed that Joe Biden was sending a secret message to his son that he was about to fire a Ukrainian prosecutor — a move that supposedly would have furthered his son’s business interests. […] But there’s one big problem with Comer’s claim: The email is dated May 26, 2016. The prosecutor in question had been dismissed by the Ukrainian parliament two months earlier.” [Washington Post, 9/6/23]
- Washington Post: The European Union And The International Monetary Fund Backed The U.S. Foreign Policy Decision That Ukrainian Prosecutor Viktor Shokin Was Not Rooting Out Corruption. “The original narrative — documented at the time — was that the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the United States (along with some Republican senators) believed that [Ukrainian Prosecutor Viktor] Shokin was not acting aggressively to root out corruption, and that Poroshenko needed to remove Shokin to demonstrate he was serious about dealing with a perennial problem in the Ukrainian government. To put pressure on Poroshenko, Biden withheld a promised $1 billion loan guarantee until Shokin was removed.” [Washington Post, 9/6/23]
- HEADLINE: “Republican Senators Echoed Biden In Urging Ukrainian President To Reform Prosecutor General’s Office” [CNN, 10/3/19]
Washington Post: Biden’s Use Of A Pseudonym Was No Surprise, The Associated Press Reported In 2013 That Many Top Officials Had Secret Emails That Were Subject To The Freedom Of Information Act. “As for the use of a pseudonym, it’s no surprise Biden would have had one, as it was disclosed during the Obama presidency that senior officials had such accounts. After the Associated Press reported in 2013 that many top officials had secret email accounts, White House spokesman Jay Carney said these were secondary government accounts, subject to the Freedom of Information Act, to avoid having inboxes flooded with messages.”[Washington Post, 9/6/23]
HEADLINE: “How Republicans Overhype The Findings Of Their Hunter Biden Probe” [Washington Post, 8/17/23]