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Nancy Mace defends Biden impeachment inquiry: ‘Facts are everywhere’

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., defended the impeachment inquiry into President Biden during an interview Sunday, arguing that the "facts are everywhere." 

During an appearance on ABC's "This Week," host Jonathan Karl asked Mace if she believed it was premature for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to launch an impeachment inquiry without a vote. Karl cited an op-ed published in the Washington Post by Mace's Republican colleague, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo, who wrote, "Trump's impeachment in 2019 was a disgrace to the Constitution and is a disservice to Americans. The GOP’s reprise in 2023 is no better."

"I don't believe so," said Mace, a member of the House Oversight Committee. "The facts are everywhere. There are text messages, there are emails, there are witnesses, there are whistleblowers, there are meetings, there are phone calls, there are dinners. And you can’t say, ‘Hey, there’s a little bit of smoke, we’re not going to follow the fire.’ And the inquiry, my understanding is, as you said earlier, gives us expanded subpoena powers. I want the bank records of Joe Biden. All of that should be on the table to prove out the allegations in the SARS reports. We're talking about a significant sum of money. We are talking about bribery. And in the Constitution, Article 2, Section 4, that is the basis for impeachment."

Karl interjected, saying there is no evidence connected to Biden, but Mace rejected the notion. 

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

"There is evidence. You can’t say that there’s no evidence there when there is evidence," Mace said.

"It was the fourth estate. It was the media and journalists when Nixon was going down that helped do that investigation, helped bring down the president when they – when he broke the law," she said. "And, you know, you guys want to deny that there's evidence. It's everywhere."

In announcing the impeachment inquiry, McCarthy listed allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption," which have made against Biden by several Republican-led committees that have been investigating the president, and said the investigations found that Biden "did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings."

"Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his [son] and his son's business partners," McCarthy told reporters.

BIDEN BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT, BLAMES GOP DESIRE TO 'SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT'

Earlier in the interview, Mace also refused to say whether or not she'd support a motion to remove McCarthy as speaker.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., threatened to bring a motion to oust McCarthy if he does not follow through on a series of demands from the House Freedom Caucus on spending and legislation. McCarthy told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures" that a motion to vacate his speakership would only give Biden what he wants and shut down the House, and effectively, the impeachment inquiry into the president.

"It hasn't happened yet, and I'm not going to … comment on conjecture here. Either he’s going to file it or he’s not. If he’s going to do it, put his money where his mouth is. I do hear that some votes might be up for grabs because people were made promises that have not been kept," Mace said Sunday of the possible motion.

"Quite frankly, a lot of promises were made. It’s not just to the Freedom Caucus but to other members of the House. And those promises ought to be fulfilled," she said. "Everything's on the table at this point for me because I want to do the right thing for the American people, I want to do the right thing for women. I'm trying to show: Here’s a path forward for women post-Roe for birth control, for women who are rape survivors, etc. My district is no stranger to gun violence, to mass shootings."

"We ought to be able to work hard for the American people and show them that. And here we are facing a government shutdown and … really, what have we accomplished this year?"

Trump calls out Biden on 9/11 claim, other falsehoods over past few weeks: ‘Everything he says is like a lie’

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Former President Donald Trump has lashed out against President Biden's repeated false claims over the past few weeks, including the Democrat's latest gaffe about 9/11. 

"Look at all the lies he’d told," Trump told NBC’s "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker in his first network news interview since leaving office aired Sunday. 

"Look at all the lies he’s told over the past couple of weeks. He said he was at the World Trade Center, and he wasn’t," Trump said. "He said he flew airplanes. He didn’t. He said he drove trucks, and he didn’t. Everything he says is like a lie. It’s terrible." 

 Trump added that Biden claimed to have a golf handicap of six, which means he shoots six over par on average – an impressive score for a non-professional. 

"He’s not a six," Trump added over Welker’s interjection. 

Welker, who newly took over the program from former host Chuck Todd, said she wanted to focus on Trump, not Biden, during the interview because "it’s important that we hear from you." 

TRUMP OPPOSES AGE LIMITS FOR POLITICIANS, SAYS COMPETENCY TESTS WOULD BE ‘A GOOD THING’

"Well, I’d like you to, but you keep interrupting me," Trump said. 

At a 9/11 remembrance event at a military base in Alaska last week, Biden falsely claimed that he visited Ground Zero the day after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. By contrast, Trump did visit Ground Zero days after the 2001 attacks, as evidenced in archived photos taken in Manhattan. 

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby avoided a question about 80-year-old Biden’s 9/11 gaffe last week. 

"In the past couple of weeks, the president has lied about being at Ground Zero the day after the Sept. 11 attacks, falsely claimed he saw the Pittsburgh bridge collapse, claimed his grandfather died in the hospital days before his birth," The Washington Times reporter Jeff Mordock posed during a White House press briefing. "What is going on with the president? Is he just believing things that didn’t happen, did happen? Or is he just randomly making stuff up?"

FLORIDA GOP GIVES A VICTORY TO TRUMP OVER DESANTIS BY SCRAPPING A PROPOSED PRIMARY BALLOT RULE

"The president was deeply touched and honored to be able to spend 9/11 with military members there in Alaska and some families," Kirby said in response. "And he spoke about a visit to Ground Zero, which he did participate in about a week or so after the event. And what that looked and what that smelled and what that felt like. And it has visceral impact on him as it did so many other Americans on that terrible day. And he’s focused on making sure that an attack like that never happens again."

Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., launched an impeachment inquiry into Biden’s conduct. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was seen walking off during her daily briefing when a member of the press pool asked her to respond to a recent poll suggesting 61% of Americans believe Biden lied about his alleged involvement in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. 

In the interview Sunday, Welker also asked Trump, "Mr. President, tell me what you see when you look at your mugshot."

"I see somebody that loves this country in me. That loves this country," Trump began. "I see tremendous unfairness. I think very few people would have been able to handle what I handled."

In the case related to Mar-a-Lago, Welker asked Trump about a new charge alleging the former president asked a staffer to delete security camera footage so it wouldn’t get into the hands of investigators. Trump's response criticized the Justice Department's Special Counsel Jack Smith. 

"False," Trump said, agreeing he would testify to that under oath. "It’s a fake charge by this deranged lunatic prosecutor who lost in the Supreme Court 9 to nothing, and he tried to destroy lots of lives. He’s a lunatic, so it’s a fake charge, but, more importantly, the tapes weren’t deleted. In other words, there was nothing done to them. And, they were my tapes." 

Texas AG Ken Paxton warns Biden administration after defeating ‘sham impeachment’: ‘Buckle up’

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a scathing letter directed towards the White House after he was acquitted of state impeachment charges Saturday.

Paxton, a Republican, was accused of corruption, bribery and unfitness for office by a bipartisan group of Texas state senators. All 12 Democrats in the jury voted for his impeachment, along with two Republicans: Sens. Robert Nichols and Kelly Hancock.

The attorney general was accused of misusing his political power to hire Nate Paul, a real state developer who employed Paxton's alleged mistress Laura Olson. Paul was indicted in June for allegedly making false statements to banks.

The jury needed 21 votes to confirm the impeachment, but a two-thirds majority was not reached. The vote finished just before 1 p.m. Saturday.

TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO IMPEACHMENT CHARGES AFTER SENATE ADVANCES CASE TO TRIAL

"The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House," Paxton's letter read.

"The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt," the embattled attorney general added.

IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF TEXAS REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON SET TO BEGIN

Paxton then accused the White House of promoting "lawless policies" and promised that President Biden will be "held accountable."

"Finally, I can promise the Biden Administration the following: buckle up because your lawless policies will not go unchallenged," the statement read. "We will not allow you to shred the constitution and infringe on the rights of Texans. You will be held accountable."

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a statement, but has not heard back.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Speaker McCarthy faces triangle of troubles

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"I always have a plan. That doesn't mean it happens," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said early Thursday afternoon. "I had a plan for this week. It didn't turn out exactly as I had planned."

McCarthy’s "plan" was for the House to approve a defense spending bill stocked with all sorts of conservative priorities. The measure included the elimination of "woke" policies in the military focused on "inclusion" and "diversity." 

The bill also torpedoed a Pentagon decision to permit service members seeking abortions to travel across state lines. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is holding up the promotions of about 300 senior officers across all branches in protest. 

But that wasn’t enough for House Republicans. McCarthy lacked the votes to even put the defense bill on the floor.

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"I don’t have one complaint by any member about what’s wrong with this bill," McCarthy groused.

It’s always about the math on Capitol Hill. McCarthy’s margin is even tighter now thanks to the resignation of former Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. There are just enough arch-conservatives to vote no who won’t support much of anything. That’s despite McCarthy stripping spending on various appropriations bills well below the level agreed to in the debt ceiling accord forged with President Biden.

McCarthy torched his opponents in a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting Thursday. The speaker is exasperated by right-wing intransigence to passing even GOP bills that articulate core conservative priorities. That’s to say nothing of intimations from right-wing members who are threatening to oust McCarthy from the speaker’s position, disappointed in his stewardship.

McCarthy brought the heat in the private meeting, dropping F-bombs on fellow Republicans he believes were obstinate.

"I showed frustration in here because I am frustrated with the committee or frustrated with some people in the conference," McCarthy said afterward. "I don’t walk away from a battle."

McCarthy promised that if it will take "a fight, I’ll have a fight."

The speaker’s loyalists closed ranks around the California Republican.

"He’s irritated," said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., when asked about McCarthy’s salty language.

"The speaker said, ‘Look, if you want to make a motion to vacate the chair, bring it on,’" added Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Let’s go back to the math.

MCCARTHY TO GREEN LIGHT BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY THIS WEEK

It’s doubtful that anyone would have votes to dethrone McCarthy at this stage. And while few say it out loud, many believed McCarthy talking impeachment all summer long would buy him political capital with detractors. 

Even some moderate Republicans representing battleground districts like Bacon and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, embraced McCarthy’s impeachment gambit of President Biden.

"I think we should have impeached his ass a long time ago," said Gonzales, miffed about how the president handled the border.

But McCarthy faces a triangle of trouble.

The impeachment inquiry begins as McCarthy attempts to avert a government shutdown and could face a no-confidence vote from rank-and-file members.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., characterized it as a "three-ring circus."

"They can’t even bring the defense appropriations bill to the floor because they’ve totally lost control of the floor to the extremists who are running the House," said Jeffries.

The New York Democrat seemingly sympathized with McCarthy about his conundrums.

"He’s not wrong in terms of the schizophrenic nature of some of the demands that have been made by House Republicans," said Jeffries.

McCarthy’s angered right-wingers because the House must likely approve an interim spending bill that simply renews all old funding on a temporary basis to avoid a shutdown. McCarthy said this week the stopgap measure could last for a month or two. 

What McCarthy didn’t say was that he probably needs to lean on Democrats to provide the votes to avoid a shutdown. The combination of failing to trim spending immediately and relying on more Democratic votes — a la what happened in May to approve the debt ceiling accord — is a toxic political cocktail for the speaker. It doesn’t matter what he does on impeachment.

"If it takes too long get a vote for impeachment, I’m forcing a vote on impeachment," vowed Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

It was Boebert who tried to deposit a snap resolution on the floor in June to impeach President Biden on the spot. This was all without committee hearings or any other vetting. The speaker intervened, euthanizing Boebert’s resolution. It’s unclear if McCarthy wishes he could rapidly say "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" to make antagonists like Boebert disappear. 

Some conservatives accused McCarthy of pivoting to impeachment because of struggles to prevent a shutdown and slash spending.

"He likes talking impeachment because it is a way to divert from the very failure to align to the commitment that was made in January," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Gaetz nearly blocked McCarthy from becoming speaker in January.

Some conservatives vow they will abandon McCarthy if he attempts to just re-up the old funding without immediate cuts. 

"Speaker McCarthy is not living up to the promises that he made in order to secure that gavel," said Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.

It’s notable that Gaetz, Boebert and Rosendale — along with representatives Bob Good, R-Va., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., all voted "present" and never supported McCarthy on the 15th and final ballot for speaker in January.

All it takes is one member to demand the House conduct a vote to "vacate the chair" and there’s a potential challenge to McCarthy’s speakership. The House has voted to elect a new speaker before when a speaker died or resigned in the middle of the Congress. 

Such was the case in 2015 when former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced his retirement. Thus, a successful vote to "vacate the chair" would trigger an unprecedented mid-Congress vote for speaker on the floor. 

Ironically, some Democrats could bail out McCarthy if it comes to that. 

"I think the motion to vacate the chair should be opposed," said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. "We’d rather have the speaker we know than the speaker we don’t know."

But the top House Democrat said McCarthy could be on his own.

"They’re going to have to work out their own, internal poisonous, partisan, political dynamics," Jeffries said of House Republicans.

Fox is told that House leaders don’t expect any motion to vacate the chair until after the House votes on a still-hypothetical interim spending bill that doesn’t align with conservative demands. So, for now, McCarthy is trying to spray foam on the smoldering spending embers. 

"Nobody wins in a government shutdown," said McCarthy. 

So, McCarthy hopes to forestall a shutdown. He wants to re-up current funding later in the fall. The aim is to sweeten the pot for conservatives by attaching some border security measures to the package.

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That is McCarthy’s plan.

But as the speaker conceded, his plan doesn’t always work out.

Texas Senate to vote on AG Ken Paxton impeachment

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The Texas Senate will vote on articles of impeachment brought against state Attorney General Ken Paxton at 10:30 a.m. central time on Saturday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced.

The jury of 30 senators, most of whom are Republicans, spent about eight hours deliberating behind closed doors since the Senate ended deliberations. A two-thirds majority is required to convict Paxton on any of 16 articles of impeachment that accuse Paxton of bribery, corruption and unfitness for office.

The vote could be a slow, public process. Each article of impeachment gets a separate vote. Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the Senate, meaning that if all Democrats vote to convict Paxton, they would need nine Republicans to join them.

Paxton faces accusations that he misused his political power to help the real estate developer Nate Paul. Paxton's opponents have argued that the attorney general accepted a bribe by hiring Paul.

"If we don’t keep public officials from abusing the powers of their office, then frankly no one can," Republican state Rep. Andrew Murr, one of the impeachment managers in the Texas House, said during closing arguments. 

Attorneys for the bipartisan group of lawmakers prosecuting Paxton’s impeachment rested their case Wednesday after a woman who was expected to testify about an extramarital affair with Paxton made a sudden appearance at the trial, but she never took the stand.

The affair is central to the proceedings and accusations of Paul, who was under FBI investigation and employed the woman, Laura Olson. One of the articles of impeachment against Paxton alleges that Paul's hiring of Olson amounted to a bribe.

Paxton's lawyers have cast the impeachment effort as a ploy by establishment Republicans to remove a proven conservative from office, pointing to Paxton's long record of challenging Democratic presidential administrations in high profile court cases that have won him acclaim from former President Donald Trump and conservative hardliners. 

"I would suggest to you this is a political witch hunt," Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee said. "I would suggest to you that this trial has displayed, for the country to see, a partisan fight within the Republican Party."

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Paxton was also previously indicted in June for allegedly making false statements to banks. 

Paxton, who was suspended from office pending the trial's outcome, was not required to attend the proceedings and appeared only once in the Senate, durinc closing arguments, since testimony began last week. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, sat across the room from him. She was required to be present for the whole trial but was prohibited from participating in debate or voting on the outcome of her husband's trial. 

This is a developing story and will be updated. Fox News' Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 
 

White House addresses possibility of pardoning Hunter Biden for first time since federal indictment

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the possibility of President Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, for the first time since the latter was indicted on federal charges for making false statements and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

"Will the president pardon or commute his son if he is convicted?" one reporter asked Jean-Pierre during Friday's daily White House press briefing.

"So I've answered this question before. It was asked of me not too long ago — a couple of weeks ago — and I was very clear, and I said no," Jean-Pierre responded.

BIDEN BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT, BLAMES GOP DESIRE TO ‘SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT’

Her answer was unchanged from the one she gave in July following Hunter's first appearance at a Delaware federal court where the president's sonded not guilty to tax charges pl. Jean-Pierre simply said "no" when asked if the president would pardon his son if convicted.

Biden was indicted Thursday on federal gun charges out of Special Counsel David Weiss' investigation. 

He was specifically charged with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

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These are the first charges Weiss has brought against the first son since being granted special counsel status. 

The charges come after an original plea agreement collapsed during Hunter's July court appearance, when he was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a plea deal to avoid jail time on the felony gun charge.

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Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

A look ahead at Pennsylvania’s special election on Tuesday

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For the third time in less than eight months, a special election will decide control of the narrowly divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives and provide political reinforcements to either the commonwealth’s Democratic governor or its Republican-controlled Senate.

On Tuesday, voters in the heavily Democratic 21st legislative district will choose a replacement for former state Rep. Sara Innamorato, who stepped down in July to focus on her bid to be Allegheny County’s next county executive. Her resignation bumped Democrats from a one-vote majority in the chamber to a 101-101 tie with Republicans.

The Democratic nominee is Lindsay Powell, director of Workforce Strategies for InnovatePGH, an economic development nonprofit, and a former aide to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto. She faces GOP nominee Erin Connolly Autenreith, a real estate agent and chairwoman of the Shaler Township Republican Committee. Her father, Thomas Connolly, served as mayor of nearby McKees Rocks in the 1980s.

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The winner will complete the remainder of Innamorato’s two-year term and be up for reelection in November 2024.

District 21 is located in the heart of Allegheny County in southwestern Pennsylvania and includes parts of Pittsburgh as well as the suburbs of Etna, Millvale, Reserve and Shaler to the north. Innamorato won the district in 2022 with 63% of the vote. Allegheny County has Pennsylvania's second-largest population and votes reliably Democratic, supporting Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the last two presidential elections with 57% and 60% of the vote, respectively. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman received 63% of the county vote in 2022 over Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz.

In the 2022 midterm election, Democrats won a majority in the Pennsylvania House for the first time since 2010, but Republicans occupied more seats by the time the term began in January because of three vacancies that were created after the election. Two Democratic members resigned to assume other offices –- lieutenant governor and U.S. representative — while a third died before Election Day and was reelected posthumously.

Democrats regained their numerical majority in February after winning special elections to fill the three vacancies. Two additional vacancies, one by a Republican who was elected to the state Senate and another by a Democrat who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, forced another round of special elections in May that would once again determine control of the House. Those elections resulted in the 102-101 Democratic edge that stood until Innamorato’s resignation in July.

Yet another special election that could determine control of the Pennsylvania House may be in the works early next year if Democratic state Rep. John Galloway is elected to a district judgeship in November, as expected.

The House is scheduled to reconvene on Sept. 26.

Here’s a look at what to expect on election night:

ELECTION DAY

The special election for Pennsylvania state House District 21 will be held on Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

WHO GETS TO VOTE

Voters must be registered in House District 21 to participate in the special election. The deadline to register was Sept. 5.

DECISION NOTES

Under its current boundaries, District 21 heavily favors Democrats. Innamorato won the 2022 general election with 63% of the vote. She performed best in the southern half of the district, which includes parts of Pittsburgh, where she dominated most of the city’s 6th, 9th, and 10th wards with between 80% and 89% of the vote.

The Republican that year, Frank Perman, carried only 16 of the district’s 79 wards, all of them in Shaler Township. This year, Autenreith would have to outperform the 50%-59% Perman scored in the eastern and western parts of Shaler, as well as cut into the Democratic lead in the rest of the township, which is conceivable considering she is the local Republican committee chairwoman. But to win, she would also have to force Powell to underperform in Pittsburgh and neighboring wards, which is a tall order considering the area’s voting history.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

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Pennsylvania has automatic recounts in statewide races if the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5 percentage points or less. In district races, Pennsylvania law allows recounts if three voters in the district request and pay for the recount, regardless of the winning margin.

The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE

As of Monday, there were 47,682 voters registered in Pennsylvania’s House District 21, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. Of those, 59% are Democrats, 26% are Republicans and 11% are not affiliated with any party.

The AP's preliminary turnout estimate as of Thursday is 16,000 votes, based on the results of previous contests in the district as well as those of other Pennsylvania House special elections this year in comparison to the turnout in those districts in the 2022 general election.

In the 2022 general election, 27% of ballots were cast before Election Day. The Democratic incumbent won 84% of those advance votes. As of Thursday morning, 3,600 ballots had been cast, with 82% by registered Democrats and 12% by registered Republicans.

HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE?

In the 2022 general election in District 21, the AP first reported results at 8:39 p.m. ET, or 39 minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 10:33 p.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.

Biden Energy secretary blames ‘poor judgment’ on her staff blocking EV chargers with gas cars

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm blamed her staff's "poor judgment" on a recent incident when police were called on them for clogging electric vehicle (EV) chargers with a gas-powered car.

During a House Science and Technology Committee hearing Thursday, Granholm was pressed by Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., over the incident that occurred in Grovetown, Georgia, during Granholm's four-day EV road trip in June. Granholm's staff angered EV drivers after they blocked open chargers with a non-electric car, according to a 911 call of the incident obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Let me just say, I have a fantastic young staff, just fantastic," Granholm told Franklin when asked about the incident. "It was poor judgment on the part of the team."

"I can only imagine they wanted to continue moving," she added in response to Franklin's question about why her staff blocked the charger.

GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: 'SHE LIED, UNDER OATH'

Granholm also sidestepped blame during the back-and-forth with Franklin on Thursday, saying that it was not her that was "saving the spot." However, the charger was ultimately saved for her to use in an effort to avoid waiting in a long line.

The 911 call of the incident indicated that Granholm's staff forced several people to wait extra time to use the chargers.

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"I'm calling because I'm in the Grovetown Walmart at the charging station and there's literally a non-electric car that is taking up a space and said they're holding the space for somebody else," the woman who made the 911 call told a police dispatcher in the recording. "And it's holding up a whole bunch of people who need to charge their cars."

"There are other people who are waiting to charge and they're still here and they're not in electric cars," she continued. "The sign says you can't park here unless you're charging."

The incident was first reported earlier this week by NPR, which joined Granholm on the trip. According to the report, Granholm's office organized the trip to "draw attention to the billions of dollars the White House is pouring into green energy and clean cars."

While Granholm's team planned the trip far in advance to prepare for charging stops, the Georgia stop underscored logistical issues that continue to face zero-emissions cars which Granholm, President Biden and Democratic-led states are aggressively pushing.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has taken a number of steps to force an economy-wide transition from traditional gas-powered cars to electric alternatives as part of its climate agenda. Biden set a goal for 50% of all new car sales to be electric by 2030.

In April, the EPA proposed the most aggressive tailpipe emissions ever crafted, which it said would cause 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck purchases to be electric by 2032. Months later, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued fuel economy standards that forces automakers to substantially increase fuel efficiency in new cars, a move that will likely drive prices higher.

Conservatives praise McCarthy for grilling reporter until she ‘admits’ GOP has evidence of Biden wrongdoing

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy set social media ablaze on Thursday after he pushed back against a reporter’s assertion that he launched an impeachment inquiry "without evidence."

"AP reported that McCarthy's impeachment inquiry was launched ‘without evidence,’" GOP operative Arthur Schwartz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. "Here’s McCarthy forcing an AP reporter to admit that there was lots of evidence to support an impeachment inquiry."

In the clip, AP reporter Farnoush Amiri asked McCarthy about fellow Republicans who have said that the investigation into President Biden has yet to show an impeachable offense at this point.

"Is that an assessment you share?" Amiri asked.

WHITE HOUSE CALLED OUT FOR LETTER TO MEDIA URGING 'SCRUTINY' ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: 'OUTRAGEOUS'

"You know, an impeachment inquiry is not an impeachment," McCarthy responded, "What an impeachment inquiry is to do is to get answers to questions. Are you concerned about all the stuff that was recently learned?"

McCarthy then went through a list of instances that many have characterized as possible evidence of wrongdoing from the president. 

"Do you believe the president lied to the American public when he said he'd never talked to his son about his business dealings?" McCarthy asked "Yes or no?"

"I can't answer that," Amiri replied. 

"Do you believe when they said the president went on conference calls? Do you believe that happened?" McCarthy asked.

"That's what the testimony says," Amiri answered.

BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY COULD RESULT IN 'HUMILIATING LOSS' IF GOP DOESN'T HAVE THE VOTES, LEGAL EXPERT WARNS

"Do you believe the president went to Cafe Milano and had dinner with the clients of Hunter Biden, who believes he got those clients because he was selling the brand?"

"That's what the testimony said," Amiri answered.

"Do you believe Hunter Biden, when you saw the video of him driving the Porsche, that he got $143,000 to buy that Porsche the next day? Do you believe that $3 million from the Russian oligarch that was transferred to the shell companies that the Biden's controlled after the dinner from Cafe Milano took place?" McCarthy asked.

McCarthy then asked Amiri again if she believed the president lied, to which she responded, "But is lying an impeachable offense?"

"All I'm saying is I would like to know the answer to these questions," McCarthy said. "The American public would like to know."

The clip was immediately picked up by conservatives on social media who slammed the narrative from many on the left who have claimed there is no evidence of wrongdoing related to President Biden and his family.

"This is what happens when reporters follow the White House’s commands to engage as activists with the Republican inquiry instead of as journalists impartially seeking facts," GOP strategist Matt Whitlock responded on X.

"It's on days like today where we see what the left wing foundations that bankroll the Associated Press get for their money," former Ted Cruz spokesperson Steve Guest posted online.

"’Is lying an impeachable offense,’" The Spectator Editor Stephen L. Miller posted on X. "Oh you sweet summer child…"

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for The Associated Press said, "The Associated Press stands by reporter Farnoush Amiri, an established and respected journalist covering the U.S. Congress."

McCarthy officially gave the go ahead for an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday after saying that House Republicans have "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct."

"Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe," McCarthy announced in a statement at the Capitol. "This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public." 

Biden breaks silence on possible impeachment, blames GOP desire to ‘shut down the government’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden has finally broken his silence on his possible impeachment, telling attendees during a campaign reception at a private residence in McLean, Virginia on Wednesday such efforts were because Republicans in Congress "want to shut down the government."

According to the official White House transcript of the event, Biden said, "Look, before I close, I want to say a word about impeachment," as those in attendance laughed.

"It was pointed out to me today that [Republican Georgia Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene, the first day she was elected, said, ‘First thing we want to do is impeach Biden.’ Well, I tell you what, I don't know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me. And now, the best I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government," he said.

ROMNEY USES BIDEN'S OWN WORDS AGAINST HIM, CALLS FOR PRESIDENT TO JOIN HIM IN RETIREMENT: ‘TIME TO TRANSITION’

One attendee expressed agreement with Biden, leading the president to say, "No, you think I'm kidding. Watch."

"Look, I've got a job to do. Everybody always asks about impeachment. 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," he said.

"And a couple of years ago, I met my Cabinet; and I met them again when I appointed them; and I met them today in the Cabinet Room, focusing on how we end cancer as we know it as a country. And I'm focused on these things," he added.

WATCH: KARINE JEAN-PIERRE RANTS AGAINST BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY, SNAPS AT REPORTER IN TESTY MOMENT

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the formal impeachment inquiry against Biden on Tuesday, stating at a press conference that House Republicans had "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct."

He listed allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption" made against Biden by several GOP-led committees who have been investigating the president and his family's foreign business dealings.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.