Category: chip roy

McCarthy unites fractious GOP with impeachment talk

Posted on (Updated by Emily Brooks

Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) flirtation with impeaching President Biden is pleasing the right wing of his conference while not scaring moderates, keeping his fractious conference together while setting up the real possibility of a third presidential impeachment in less than five years.

The increased talk of impeachment comes as the GOP dives further into investigations of Hunter Biden, who on Wednesday saw his plea agreement get placed on hold after a federal judge questioned the scope of the deal.  

The drive also has heavy political implications, with attacks on Biden and his family being fertile ground ahead of the 2024 election, especially with the economy rebounding in a way that could help the White House.

But going too far poses the risk of turning off swing-district voters and endangering moderates in McCarthy’s conference. Those members back investigating Biden, but they might not support an impeachment vote. 

McCarthy’s efforts so far have threaded this needle as he insists that he will never pursue impeachment for “political purposes.”

“The Speaker has said that there may be an impeachment inquiry. That is not impeachment,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who represents a district Biden won in 2020. “That is Congress continuing its responsibilities to look into the issues that have been raised.”

“Are they producing enough facts and evidence that warrant taking it to the next step? I don't think it's there at the moment. But these committees are doing their job,” Lawler said.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), another swing district Republican, said an impeachment inquiry effort poses an electoral risk “if it looks like it's rushed and we're not doing due process and due diligence.”

“But if we're very thorough about it. … I think the voters will feel differently,” Bacon said.

In a closed-door conference meeting Wednesday, McCarthy put no timeline on starting an impeachment probe and urged members not to overstate the evidence obtained so far, according to several GOP members.

Conservatives who have been pushing for the impeachment of Biden administration officials generally offered support for McCarthy’s approach as they try to pull the Speaker to the right on a host of other policy and spending matters.

“I don’t think there’s any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said of McCarthy floating an impeachment inquiry.

McCarthy and other Republicans point to numerous issues they see stemming from information compiled from IRS whistleblowers who allege prosecutors slow-walked the Hunter Biden tax crime investigation, and from financial records they obtained that show President Biden falsely denied his family made money from China.

“Let's just say there's a whole hell of a lot of smoke, and our job is to present the fire,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), adding he would support an impeachment inquiry against Biden.

Not all conservatives are pleased, though. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) sees impeachment talk as a distraction from the right flank’s push to get McCarthy to agree to lower spending levels in appropriations bills.

“This is impeachment theater,” Buck said on CNN Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s responsible for us to talk about impeachment. When you start raising the 'I' word, it starts sending a message to the public, and it sets expectations.”

Republicans have not proven President Biden was part of any of Hunter Biden’s business activities, interfered in his criminal case, or directly financially benefited from his son’s foreign business dealings. 

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly said the president “was never in business with his son.

And Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, tweeted on Monday night that McCarthy was focusing on impeachment inquiry “instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs.”

McCarthy suggested a potential impeachment inquiry could not center directly on those issues, but instead on the Biden administration’s cooperation with the House GOP probes.

“If the departments in government, just like Richard Nixon used, deny us the ability to get the information we’re asking, that would rise to an impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy said on Tuesday.

Republicans also argue the weight of a formal impeachment inquiry would give the House more power to get the information it seeks from its various investigations.

“If we don't have access to the information, then you do have to escalate the oversight of the House,” Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), another Biden-district Republican, echoed after a GOP conference meeting on Wednesday.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said that when he was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee setting up impeachment of former President Donald Trump four years ago, his theory that an impeachment inquiry would give more weight to enforcing subpoenas did not pan out.

“We thought that it puts the weight of the House behind the request, not just the weight of a committee,” Nadler said. “It didn’t work.”

Democrats are scoffing at the GOP impeachment effort. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison suggested McCarthy’s interest in impeaching Biden was a way for him to do the “bidding” of Trump — though McCarthy told reporters Tuesday he had not talked to the former president about a potential impeachment inquiry.

“I don't think that they've been prevented from getting information that they want. I think the biggest problem they have is all of the information that they've gotten does not support their overreaching and unsubstantiated conclusions and allegations,” said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.). “He is using that as an excuse to start an impeachment inquiry without any evidence of wrongdoing.”

And while the House GOP conference is largely lining up behind McCarthy as he floats impeachment for now, there is potential for frustrations to flare if members resist efforts to move forward on an actual inquiry in the future.

“At this point, I don't know how there can’t be support for it. Any Republican that can't move forward on impeachment with all the information and overwhelming evidence that we have — I really don't know why they're here, to be honest with you,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). 

GOP braces for Republican vs. Republican spending fight in House

Posted on (Updated by Emily Brooks

House Republicans are bracing for fights over spending as GOP leadership aims to bring the first two of 12 appropriations bills to the floor this week, despite vocal criticism from the party’s right flank over not cutting enough spending.

Democrats are not expected to give the GOP any help with passing the funding bills, leaving Republicans to pass them with just a slim majority — creating the very real possibility that the GOP will be short on votes.

How the GOP deals with the first two bills ahead of a long August recess will set the tone for expected spending showdowns ahead of a Sept. 30 government funding deadline, and potentially bigger spending showdowns with the Senate this fall.

Hard-line conservatives have long pressed Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to further slash spending in the House bills, aiming to take the most extreme position ahead of expected funding negotiations with the Senate this fall.

A group of 21 House Republicans, made up of mostly members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies, wrote in a letter to the Speaker earlier this month that they plan to vote against spending bills they think contain insufficient overall cuts.

The two measures scheduled for House consideration this week are the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction bill, along with the agriculture, rural development and Food and Drug Administration bill. The first actually boosts funding for the VA, in an effort to combat Democratic talking points that claimed Republicans would slash benefits for veterans.

A main disagreement between the right flank and GOP, referenced in the letter earlier this month, is over “reallocated rescissions to increase discretionary spending above that top-line,” decrying what some have called a “budgetary gimmick” to include clawbacks of previously approved spending in getting to fiscal 2022 levels. 

The House Freedom Caucus is set to hold a press conference with the president of advocacy group FreedomWorks on Tuesday morning about the appropriations bills. 

“Democrats intentionally funded a bloated federal bureaucracy, and if we don’t reset discretionary spending now, Republicans are effectively accepting and enshrining absurd COVID levels,” FreedomWorks said in a post urging the public to demand lower spending levels.

Some conservatives have expressed confidence that the Appropriations Committee-approved bills will see changes before final passage — and it is a possibility through either the House Rules Committee or amendments.

Those in the right flank are also prioritizing policy changes through the power of the purse.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) summarized the position of hard-line conservatives in a tweet Monday: “To consider funding federal government: 1) Return Federal Bureaucracy to Pre-COVID, 2) End Border Invasion & fed attack on Texas, 3) End FBI Weaponization, 4) End Racist DEI Govt Policies, 5) Make Europe Handle Ukraine, 6) End War on Reliable Energy.”

The 10 bills passed out of the House Appropriations Committee so far did so along partisan lines, with Democrats angry that House Republicans moved to write the 12 appropriations bills with an overall top-line target that was lower than the spending caps that McCarthy negotiated with President Biden in the debt limit increase bill in June.

The White House on Monday said that Biden would veto either bill if it came to his desk, taking issue not only with the additional spending cuts and recissions, but with culture war provisions concerning abortion, diversity and inclusion initiatives and gender-affirming care.

Pressure from hard-line conservatives poses challenges for Republican appropriators and moderates. The challenge, they note, is making sure that final funding bills can eventually pass the House and get signed into law. 

“You’re not gonna get everything you want. But they are getting numbers-wise and policy-wise many of the things that are good for them,” Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), a subcommittee chairman on the House Appropriations Committee and chairman of the more moderate Republican Governance Group caucus, recently told The Hill.

“It’s important to pass appropriations bills that dictate the policies and procedures and how the money is going to be spent and where it’s going to be spent,” Joyce said, adding that it’s “certainly an understanding we haven’t reached yet.”

Chip Roy Won’t Rule Out Running Against Stefanik For GOP House Conference Seat: She ‘Should Have An Opponent’

Posted on by John Hanson

On Wednesday, Congressman Chip Roy would not rule out running for the GOP leadership position left in the wake of former chairwoman Liz Cheney being ousted by her own party on Wednesday. 

Mere hours after Cheney was pushed out for constantly criticizing former President Donald Trump, Roy was asked if he had any desire to become the next House Republican Conference chair.

Roy had previously criticized the choice of Elise Stefanik as a replacement, arguing that she was too liberal. Some conservatives agree.

RELATED: Pelosi Launches Attack On GOP For Removing Liz Cheney – ‘Republicans Must Take Back The Party’

Roy: ‘I Don’t Believe There Should Be A Coronation’

“We’re here to talk about other topics but I will say this, (New House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik) should have an opponent,” Roy said at a press conference.

Stefanik is one of Congress’s youngest members. Her influence began to rise in the GOP during the first impeachment trial, as many began to see her as the natural successor to an increasingly unpopular Liz Cheney.

“I don’t believe there should be a coronation,” Roy told reporters on Wednesday.

“I believe that if the [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wants us to be united, then he should take the time to do this the right way,” Roy added.

Before Cheney’s removal and Stefanik stepping into that role, Roy and other conservatives were already sounding the alarm that the new presumed House Chair was too liberal.

Multiple Outlets Were Reporting Wednesday That Roy Plans To Challenge Stefanik

The Political Insider reported on Tuesday, “With the vote to oust Congresswoman Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership looming, one conservative House Freedom Caucus member circulated a memo to every GOP office claiming that her presumed successor, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik isn’t much different from a Democrat.”

“On Tuesday, Congressman Chip Roy sent a memo asking the House Republican conference to reconsider Stefanik, citing her voting record, and encouraging Republicans to choose someone more conservative,” The Political Insider noted.

Multiple news outlets on Wednesday speculated that the Texas Republican already had his sights set on challenging Stefanik for her leadership seat.

And while the media regularly portrays Stefanik as hyper loyal to Donald Trump, and she even secured the endorsement of Trump himself, conservative critics have pointed out that she has regularly opposed Trump’s main platform issues. 

For example, Stefanik opposes the border wall. 

NPR put together a list of Stefanik’s attacks on core Trump positions. Besides opposing the wall, she attacked Trump’s position on NATO and implied he was soft on Putin. 

She opposed Trump’s move to block immigration from terror-heavy Middle East countries. 

She attacked Trump for allegedly describing some third-world nations as “sh&thole countries.”

Stefanik told the Post-Star that “I disagree with his (Trump) position on Russia. I believe that Russia is an adversary,” Stefanik said. “In terms of Russia’s use of cyberattacks, in terms of Russia’s use of information operation and influence campaigns, I’m deeply concerned.”

Further, she backed the so-called Mueller investigation: “I disagree on his (Trump) attacks on law enforcement and the Department of Justice. I have confidence in the Mueller investigation. I have repeatedly and explicitly said that I support the Mueller investigation.”

Stefanik opposed Trump’s efforts to replace NAFTA, and is a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform – which conservative critics, along with Trump, argue is little more than amnesty.

It seems Roy may have a point.

RELATED: GOP Rep: Stefanik Too Liberal To Replace Cheney, Urges GOP To Choose A Conservative

When asked about the potential for a challenge from Roy, Stefanik told reportes on Wednesday, “We have a great support conference-wide.” 

 

Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #16 on Feedspot’s “Top 70 Conservative Political Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2021.”

 

The post Chip Roy Won’t Rule Out Running Against Stefanik For GOP House Conference Seat: She ‘Should Have An Opponent’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

GOP Rep: Stefanik Too Liberal To Replace Cheney, Urges GOP To Choose A Conservative

Posted on by John Hanson

With the vote to oust Congresswoman Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership looming, one conservative House Freedom Caucus member circulated a memo to every GOP office claiming that her presumed successor, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik isn’t much different from a Democrat.

On Tuesday, Congressman Chip Roy sent a memo asking the House Republican conference to reconsider Stefanik, citing her voting record, and encouraging Republicans to choose someone more conservative.

Republican Roy Rejects Stefanik: ‘Choose Someone Who Reflects Our Conservative Values’

In his memo, Roy argues that Stefanik voted against Trump’s agenda often, siding with Democrats.

Roy asked House Republicans to instead, “choose someone who reflects our conservative values.”

“We must avoid putting in charge Republicans who campaign as Republicans but then vote for and advance the Democrats’ agenda once sworn in,” Roy wrote to his fellow GOP members.

“Therefore, with all due respect to my friend, Elise Stefanik, let us contemplate the message Republican leadership is about to send by rushing to coronate a spokesperson whose voting record embodies much of what led to the 2018 ass-kicking we received by Democrats,” Roy added.

Other Conservatives Not Happy With Stefanik Succeeding Cheney

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Monday that the secret ballot vote to oust Cheney from her leadership position will happen on Wednesday.

Cheney has drawn heat from Republicans for not only voting to impeach former President Donald Trump on the second impeachment vote, but for continuing to attack him in op-eds and during interviews.

McCarthy and other leaders believe Cheney has become too much of a distraction away from what the party should focused on: Winning more House seats for Republicans in 2022.

Roy is not the only conservative to complain about Stefanik’s lack of a conservative voting record.

The conservative Club for Growth said, “Elise Stefanik is NOT a good spokesperson for the House Republican Conference.”

“She is a liberal with a 35% CFGF lifetime rating, 4th worst in the House GOP. House Republicans should find a conservative to lead messaging and win back the House Majority.”

RELATED: OJ Simpson Defends Liz Cheney – Says She’s ‘Standing Up For The Truth’

Stefanik Has The Backing Of Republican Leadership And Trump

Roy’s memo to House Republicans highlighted several problematic Stefanik votes for conservatives, including her opposition to a border wall. 

“The forgotten men and women of this country simply want us to stand up for them,” Roy wrote. “Please tell me how we are sending a message today that we are standing up for them with a leadership-tapped colleague with that record as our spokesperson?”

Roy said that if the GOP strays from Trump’s America First Agenda it could hurt the party at the ballot box.

Trump and McCarthy, along with GOP Minority Whip Steve Scalise have all endorsed Stefanik. 

 

Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #16 on Feedspot’s “Top 70 Conservative Political Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2021.”

 

The post GOP Rep: Stefanik Too Liberal To Replace Cheney, Urges GOP To Choose A Conservative appeared first on The Political Insider.