Category: fox-news/person/kevin-mccarthy

‘Impeachment Week’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

You’ve heard of "infrastructure week."

The past week wasn’t quite "impeachment week" for House Republicans.

But it came close.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., went further on impeachment for President Biden than he had before.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO HOW HUNTER BIDEN'S LEGAL WOES COULD ACCELERATE AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"This is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed," said McCarthy on Fox. "This President has also used something we have not seen since Richard Nixon used the weaponization of government to benefit his family and deny Congress the ability to have the oversight."

This suggests the House could prospectively launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over alleged ties to his son’s business dealings.

"When more of this continues to unravel, it rises to the level of an impeachment inquiry where you would have the Congress have the power to get to all these answers," said McCarthy.

In addition, McCarthy has more than cracked the door on impeachment with President Biden and maybe even Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"I would move to an impeachment inquiry if I found that the Attorney General has not only lied to the Congress, the Senate, but to America," said McCarthy said earlier this month about Garland and how his office handled the Hunter Biden case.

But while McCarthy talks "impeachment inquiry," he’s not ready to launch an actual impeachment inquiry.

"Define what this is right now," I asked the Speaker on Tuesday.

"We’re no different from where we were yesterday," replied McCarthy. "We continue to find more information.

But just the Speaker saying "impeachment" alters the fundamental equation.

McCarthy’s impeachment language impresses the hard right.

"When he does speak to impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight," said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.

I asked Good if the Speaker mentioning this "shifted the ground?"

"I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift," said Good.

The House must vote to launch an official impeachment inquiry. As per usual, this is about the math. It’s unclear if the House has the votes to do that. Let alone impeach the President. Or Garland. Or anyone else.
House Republicans are struggling to settle on exactly who they want to impeach.

"It's all of the above," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. "Look at the evidence that we have."

Sometimes mentioned as impeachment candidates: FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss. Weiss handled the Hunter Biden prosecution. Another name: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves.

IMPEACH BIDEN OR MAYORKAS? WHAT IT TAKES FOR 'IMPEACHMENT' PROCEEDINGS TO SUCCEED IN THE HOUSE

It can be hard to keep up.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., suggested that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is the "low hanging fruit."

A senior House Republican leadership source tells Fox that potential impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "the furthest along." Although that doesn’t mean that it’s that far along. It’s just that GOPers believe they have the strongest case against Mayorkas regarding the border.

Fox is told that this is something of a high-level "trial balloon." McCarthy wants to get a sense of what GOPers want to do. And most importantly, where the votes may lie for impeaching anyone.

Thus, the math.

A senior House GOP source says Republicans leaders will try to see "if there is one (impeachment) that could pass."

Keep in mind that House Republicans are only operating with a four seat majority. Threading the needle on anything as serious as impeachment is challenging.
 

"A lot of our members will make decisions on how well the argument is made," said a Republican leadership source.

The problem for the GOP is that there is a wide swath of Republican members in rock-ribbed conservative districts who would impeach Mr. Biden and many members of his cabinet "no matter what" said one GOP source. But actually executing a successful impeachment depends on the math.

There are 18 House Republicans who represent districts which President Biden carried in 2020. A vote to impeach any cabinet figure, let alone the President, could spell a political death sentence.

So, impeachment is out there – even if it isn’t.

This sounds familiar.

Rewind to late July 2019, following the House testimony of Special Counsel Robert Mueller about former President Trump.

Mueller didn’t exactly deliver the goods on Mr. Trump at what turned out to be an overhyped hearing.

So, Democrats began talking about impeachment – without acting on impeachment – as they entered the customary August Congressional recess.

In 2019, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opposed impeachment for former President Trump – until she didn’t.

But, as we often write in this space around this time of year, beware the Ides of August.

In August 2019, Pelosi observed a sea change in her caucus. A number of moderate Democratic freshmen who represented swing districts altered their views on impeachment.

Political leaders must have their finger on the pulse of their Members. This is critical. Otherwise, they look like they are being led by their members – not leading themselves. After there were more revelations about former President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pelosi shifted her position.

McCarthy isn’t quite there yet on impeaching anyone. But he must be mindful of where his members are – and stay in front of them. McCarthy’s statements the past two weeks were efforts to "get in front" of his members, should the votes to impeach present themselves and there is a bona fide shift in that direction.

However, Fox is told that McCarthy is internally worried about overusing impeachment and protecting the institution of the House.

But all members on his right heard was "impeachment." And that’s all the red meat they needed to take into the August recess.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., says he would vote yes on impeachment. But Comer points out a stark fact.

"The Senate’s never going to remove from office," said Comer.

Democrats delight in the GOP impeachment milieu.

"Every week we hear a new member of the Biden administration that extreme MAGA Republicans are determined to impeach," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "The extreme MAGA Republican majority has nothing to show for their time in office but the peddling of conspiracy theories, facilitating hate against communities all across the country and figuring out who was going to be at the top of the list of their impeachment fantasies."

All of this could spell trouble if the GOP base expects too much.

"This is the danger, particularly for a Speaker, who has so far been trying to tamp down the impeachment expectations," said George Washington University professor Casey Burgat. "It seems like he's getting a lot of pushback within his individual conference to say, ‘hey, we have to escalate these investigations and impeachment is now on the table’ if it wasn't before."

So this will fester in August.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

House Republicans are planning more investigations over the next month. Burisma board member Devon Archer appears for a closed-door, transcribed interview on Monday. Burisma is the Ukrainian firm associated with Hunter Biden.

It wasn’t quite impeachment week. But some Republicans would like August to become impeachment month.

Elise Stefanik backs Biden impeachment inquiry: ‘Oh, absolutely’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Thursday morning that she would "absolutely" support the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Stefanik's comments came during an appearance on FOX Business, where she told a "Mornings with Maria" panel that she has been in contact with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., about the issue.

Asked whether she would support a potential impeachment inquiry, Stefanik responded, "Oh, absolutely. I'm in conversations with Speaker McCarthy and all of our members. The important thing to know about an impeachment inquiry is that ensures that the House is at the apex of its power and oversight responsibility. It means that our subpoenas have the most power possible when it comes to litigating this out in court because we know getting the facts is not going to be easy.

"We know this White House, this Department of Justice, they are trying to cover up for Hunter Biden and ultimately Joe Biden," she continued. "What is important that you mentioned at the beginning of your statement is the White House is trying to quietly change its language. First it said that Joe Biden never spoke to his son about Hunter's business dealings. They have now changed that language to now saying Joe Biden has never been in business with Hunter Biden's business operations. That is a significant change…"

SPEAKER MCCARTHY REVEALS RED LINE FOR POSSIBLE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"It is only because of House Republicans that we've discovered the dozens of LLCs, which is illegal money laundering, the fact that nearly 20 Biden family members have profited illegally," she added.

Stefanik said she believes that Americans are smart enough to realize, at this point, that the "big guy is Joe Biden."

"Having that impeachment inquiry allows us to get all the facts and have the most constitutionally recognized power for the House of Representatives," she concluded.

McCarthy said this week that Republican lawmakers in the House may consider an impeachment inquiry of Biden over claims of financial misconduct.

JOE BIDEN LAUGHS, IGNORES QUESTIONS ABOUT POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS

Speaking Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions that House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. He said an impeachment inquiry "allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth" about whether Biden committed any wrongdoing.

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.

Speaking to Fox News Digital about the subject earlier this week, McCarthy said his party will, for now, continue seeking information related to the Biden family finances unless that information began being withheld.

"What I've said is, if they withhold information, the impeachment inquiry allows Congress to have the apex of power to get all the information they need. All this information people are finding out now is only because Republicans have investigated," McCarthy said.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"The people of America have a right to know what went on. They have a president who lied to the American public and said they didn't get any money from China. We know that's true. We've had whistleblowers from the IRS come say the Biden family is treated differently and that other things were going on. And then you have a[n] informant with the FBI saying there was a bribe. We need to know the answer to this," he added.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and Charles Creitz, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Impeach Biden? Skeptical GOP senators warn against mimicking Dems who ‘cheapened’ the process

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's recent comments about opening an impeachment inquiry into President Biden were greeted with skepticism from Senate Republicans, including one who warned against following the lead of Democrats who "cheapened" the process under former President Trump.

"You'd have to have the argument," Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday. "It's a high threshold. I'd assume they'd have to have evidence and some process where they would at least get that evidence if they don't have it."

"Clearly the statements they're making would lead me to believe they have evidence. Or they think they have evidence that could reach that threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors," Thune added. "I'll say what I said before, and that is I think the best way to change the presidency is win the election… I think it's in our best interest to be making an argument for why we need to have the majority in the House, the Senate and the White House come Jan. 2025."

In a Monday night in an interview on "Hannity," McCarthy escalated his talk about potentially impeaching Biden by saying "this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry." The speaker said evidence uncovered by House committees' investigations into the president may necessitate a full inquiry to gather more evidence of alleged corruption by the Biden family.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES HUNGRY FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT AFTER MCCARTHY'S COMMENTS: ‘GROUND SHIFTED’

"You've got IRS whistleblowers saying something when it comes to government treating the Bidens different. You've got an informant claiming that the Biden family had been bribed. Should you ignore that or should investigate that?" McCarthy told reporters Tuesday. "The only way you can investigate that is through an impeachment inquiry. So the committee would have the power to get all the documents that they would need."

However, Senate Republicans were not excited about the prospect of a third presidential impeachment in four years.

"It's getting to be a habit around here, isn't it?" Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said of impeachments.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

"No it's not," Cornyn added when asked if that was a good thing. "Unfortunately what goes around, comes around. But obviously the stuff that the House is revealing about the Biden family business is very disturbing. But obviously the Senate doesn't have any role in that."

"I'll wait to see what evidence they present," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. "But we've got to do the homework. They cheapened the process the last two impeachments and we don't want to repeat that mistake."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said there are serious lingering questions about the Biden family, including what the president knew about his son Hunter's overseas business dealings and if Biden got any money from those deals. However, Kennedy said mere political disagreements should not be grounds for an impeachment.

DOJ OFFERS HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATOR FOR TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE

"No one should be impeached, certainly not a president, unless there is substantial evidence that the president has committed a high crime or misdemeanor," Kennedy said. "I'm not going to support – and I'm not suggesting this is what Kevin has suggested – but I'm not gonna support impeaching somebody just because I don't like their politics."

It is up to the House to impeach a president, but removal from office only happens if two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict the commander in chief.

An impeachment would be very difficult to get through the House with McCarthy's narrow GOP majority. It would also put massive pressure on his most moderate members in districts that voted for Biden if impeachment came to the floor. Like the two Trump impeachments, it is highly unlikely the Senate would vote to convict Biden given its Democratic majority and the supermajority vote needed to remove Biden. 

IRS WHISTLEBLOWER: 'INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY' NEEDED IN HUNTER BIDEN DELAWARE CASE

However, at least one Republican in the Senate welcomed the prospect of more investigative tools for the House as it looks into the Biden family.

"I think we're gonna get to a point really soon, you may have to stand up a committee that then would open an impeachment inquiry just to do the investigation, particularly because the White House isn't cooperating at all," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

He added, "The American people deserve to know if the president's a crook."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, even Sen. Chuck Grassley R-Iowa, who has been among the leading voices on investigating the president and Hunter Biden, said in a floor speech about evidence detailing a bribery allegation against the president that his focus is on federal law enforcement.

"I want to make clear what my oversight focus is and will be holding the Justice Department and the FBI accountable to explain to the American people what they did to investigate and what they found," Grassley said.

Fox News' Brianna O'Neil and Ben Florance contributed to this report.

Speaker McCarthy reveals red line for possible Biden impeachment inquiry

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy revealed Republicans' red line for possible impeachment proceedings against President Biden, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that his party would, for now, continue seeking information related to the Biden family finances unless that information began being withheld.

"What I've said is if they withhold information, the impeachment inquiry allows Congress to have the apex of power to get all the information they need. All this information people are finding out now is only because Republicans have investigated," McCarthy told Fox. 

"The people of America have a right to know what went on. They have a president who lied to the American public and said they didn't get any money from China. We know that's true. We've had whistleblowers from the IRS come say the Biden family is treated differently and that other things were going on. And then you have a[n] informant with the FBI saying there was a bribe. We need to know the answer to this," he said. 

McCarthy added that if "at any time" he felt they weren't going to be able to get the information they needed to progress through the investigation, then they "would have to rise to the level of impeachment inquiry." 

MCCARTHY: BIDEN CASE WILL ‘RISE TO IMPEACHMENT’ AS 16 ROMANIAN PAYMENTS ALLEGEDLY WENT TO ‘SHELL COMPANIES’

"That's not happening today. But what I'm explaining to everybody that if we don't get the information, I will go to impeachment inquiry to make sure we get all the answers," he said.

When asked whether he thought a sitting U.S. president could be impeached based off actions that occurred before they took office, McCarthy dismissed dealing in hypotheticals.

"What we're looking right now is getting an answer to the questions and seeing, did [Attorney General Merrick] Garland lie to the American public or not? We know what has been said in these meetings, and we're going to get the answers," he said.

McCarthy predicted during a Monday appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" that House Republicans would soon have enough evidence gathered to mount an impeachment inquiry against Biden as the corruption scandal enveloping him and his son Hunter continues to grow.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES HUNGRY FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT AFTER MCCARTHY'S COMMENTS: ‘GROUND SHIFTED’

During the interview, McCarthy said that 16 of the 17 payments the Bidens allegedly received from a Romanian national went to what he described as "Biden shell companies" while Biden was vice president. According to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., the elder Biden had been "lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies" while instead being a "walking billboard for his… family to collect money."

"When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he's never talked about [Hunter's] business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now prove is not true," McCarthy said during the interview.

Biden has long denied discussion or involvement in Hunter's business deals, recently rebuffing a New York Post reporter who asked why he is reportedly referred to as the "big guy" in the FBI form – which is the same nickname purportedly used as a pseudonym in a message gleaned from previously released documentation connected to Hunter.

DOJ OFFERS HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATOR FOR TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE

McCarthy's comments have riled up members of the House Freedom Caucus, who appeared eager Tuesday for him to make good on his veiled impeachment threats, with one saying the leader's words marked a "paradigm shift."

"When he does speak to … impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight. And that's why I think the ground shifted on that a little bit when he opened up the door," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said after the group's Tuesday press conference. "I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News' Charles Creitz and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Joe Biden laughs, ignores questions about potential impeachment by House Republicans

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden brushed off and smiled at reporters who peppered him with questions Tuesday evening about a potential impeachment by Republicans in the House.

Following a speech in the East Room of the White House about expanding access to mental health care, Biden made his way to the exit where a group of reporters eagerly asked for his thoughts about the growing discussion by Republicans to impeach him.

Amid numerous questions, one reporter asked, "Mr. President, McCarthy says he may [consider] an impeachment inquiry to get to the bottom of —"

Smiling from ear to ear in one clip shared to social media, Biden quickly passed by the noisy group of reporters.

MCCARTHY: BIDEN CASE WILL 'RISE TO IMPEACHMENT' AS 16 ROMANIAN PAYMENTS ALLEGEDLY WENT TO 'SHELL COMPANIES'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry of Biden over claims of financial misconduct.

Speaking Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. He said an impeachment inquiry "allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth" about whether Biden committed any wrongdoing.

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.

Other Republicans also appear to be on board with the idea of impeachment, specifically House Freedom Caucus members.

"When he does speak to … impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight. And that's why I think the ground shifted on that a little bit when he opened up the door," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said after a Freedom Caucus press conference on Tuesday. "I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift."

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., suggested there would be "an uprising" against Biden if the House did not move forward with trying to remove him.

"Look, the evidence is mounting against this guy. Look at what he’s done," Norman said. "What Donald Trump’s done with papers pales in comparison."

Norman said there was a "difference of opinion" on whether to take such a severe step but dismissed the idea of risking an impeachment vote that fails.

"Some people think that what he’s done isn’t that bad. A lot of us in general — the public, it’s gonna be an uprising against this guy, I think, at the end of the day."

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES HUNGRY FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT AFTER MCCARTHY’S COMMENTS: ‘GROUND SHIFTED’

McCarthy predicted Monday that Republicans will gather enough evidence soon to mount an impeachment inquiry against Biden, as the corruption scandal enveloping him and his son Hunter continues to grow.

McCarthy made reference to a relatively new revelation from the House Oversight Committee that — while Joe was vice president — Hunter Biden "capitalized" on a financial relationship with a Romanian national later convicted on corruption charges.

According to prepared remarks from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., in June, the Bidens received more than $1 million in 17 increments.

McCarthy, during an appearance on Fox News, said that 16 of those 17 payments went to what he described as "Biden shell companies" while President Biden was vice president. According to Comer's prepared remarks, the elder Biden had been "lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies" while instead being a "walking billboard for his … family to collect money."

"When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he's never talked about [Hunter's] business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now prove is not true," McCarthy said on "Hannity."

He said evidence and legitimacy of their caucus' probes are mounting, as he described the two IRS investigators who testified before Congress last week as "some of the most credible" to come forward.

McCarthy cited the FBI 1023 form wherein a confidential human source told the bureau that Biden was paid $5 million by a Burisma executive while he was vice president and while Hunter was on the board.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Biden has long denied discussion or involvement in Hunter's business deals, recently rebuffing a New York Post reporter who asked why he is reportedly referred to as the "big guy" in the FBI form — which is the same nickname purportedly used as a pseudonym in a message gleaned from previously released documentation connected to Hunter.

McCarthy on Tuesday gave no timeline for launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden.

Fox News' Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House conservatives hungry for Biden impeachment after McCarthy’s comments: ‘Ground shifted’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Freedom Caucus members on Tuesday appeared eager for Speaker Kevin McCarthy to make good on his recent veiled impeachment threat against President Biden, and one member of the conservative group of GOP members said the leader’s words marked a "paradigm shift."

"When he does speak to … impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight. And that's why I think the ground shifted on that a little bit when he opened up the door," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said after a Freedom Caucus press conference on Tuesday. "I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift."

After a series of hearings and briefings on alleged misconduct by Biden and his family, McCarthy said on Fox News's "Hannity" Monday night, "This is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed."

It’s the most direct comment yet the speaker has made about impeaching Biden, something the hardliners in his conference have been clamoring for since the House GOP took the majority this year.

IRS WHISTLEBLOWER: 'INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY' NEEDED IN HUNTER BIDEN DELAWARE CASE

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., suggested there would be "an uprising" against Biden if the House did not move forward with trying to remove him.

"Look, the evidence is mounting against this guy. Look at what he’s done," Norman said. "What Donald Trump’s done with papers pales in comparison."

JORDAN ROASTS DEMS AFTER RFK JR HEARING: PARTY TURNED AGAINST ITS MOST FAMOUS NAME

Norman said there was a "difference of opinion" on whether to take such a severe step but dismissed the idea of risking an impeachment vote that fails. 

"Some people think that what he’s done isn’t that bad. A lot of us in general — the public, it’s gonna be an uprising against this guy, I think, at the end of the day."

It's not just Biden that Republicans are looking to target. GOP members have called for impeachment proceedings against some of the president’s top Cabinet officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Norman answered "all of the above" during the press conference when asked about which Biden official should be impeached first.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Mayorkas would be the "low hanging fruit" to initially consider. "But with the evidence that we've induced in the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee with regard to the Biden — I would call it from the crime syndicate, I don't know what else you can call it — the corruption that's there," he said.

"That would certainly be a very interesting and perhaps even necessary step," he said. "I’ll just tell you that the evidence I’ve seen is overwhelming, and it would lead one to believe our president, our sitting president, is corrupted and compromised."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

At one point Norman took a jab at Vice President Kamala Harris that earned some nervous laughter by saying, "I realize the replacement for Joe Biden is probably giggling somewhere now, so she’s not an alternative."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Impeach Biden or Mayorkas? What it takes for ‘impeachment’ proceedings to succeed in the House

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A senior House Republican source tells Fox that potential impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "the furthest along." 

Although that does not mean that it is that far along. It is just that GOPers believe they have the strongest case and evidence against Mayorkas.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., recently cracked the door open to impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden.

Fox is told those are something of high-level "trial balloons." The reason is that McCarthy wants to get a sense of what GOPers want to do where the votes may lie for impeaching anyone.

Will there be an impeachment?

MCCARTHY: BIDEN CASE WILL ‘RISE TO IMPEACHMENT’ AS 16 ROMANIAN PAYMENTS ALLEGEDLY WENT TO ‘SHELL COMPANIES’

It is about the math.

A senior House GOP source says Republican leaders will try to see "if there is one (impeachment) that could pass."

House Republicans are only operating with a four-seat majority and will need nearly every single GOP vote to send impeachment articles to the Senate. Threading the needle on anything as serious as impeachment will be a challenge.

REPUBLICAN CALLS TO IMPEACH BIDEN GROW FOLLOWING RELEASE OF FBI DOCUMENT DETAILING BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS

"A lot of our members will make decisions on how well the argument is made," a Republican leadership source told Fox News, noting that Mayorkas may be the best candidate for impeachment right now.

The problem for the GOP is that there is a wide swath of Republican members in rock-ribbed conservative districts who would impeach Biden and many members of his cabinet "no matter what." However, actually executing a successful impeachment depends on the math.

There are 18 House Republicans who represent districts which President Biden carried in 2020. A vote to impeach any cabinet figure, let alone the president, could be a political death sentence for Republicans in those swing districts.

In 2019, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opposed impeachment of former President Trump — until she did not. By August 2019, Pelosi observed a sea change in her caucus. A number of moderate Democratic freshman who represented swing districts were shifting their views on impeachment.

Political leaders must have their finger on the pulse of their members. Without that crucial insight, they risk looking like they are being led by their members, not leading themselves. So, Pelosi shifted her position.

McCarthy does not appear to be ready to impeach, but he must be mindful of where his members are, and be in front of them. McCarthy’s statements the past two weeks were likely efforts to "get in front" of his members, should the votes to impeach present themselves and there is a bona fide shift in that direction.

Calls for impeachment recently ramped up after Sen. Chuck Grassley released the FD-1023 form that found first son Hunter Biden allegedly received millions of dollars as a result of a bribery scheme involving Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. 

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, immediately wrote that the form is "damning evidence that Biden is compromised," while Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said "Biden should be thrown out of office. Impeach!"

While President Biden repeatedly denies having any knowledge of Hunter's business dealings, McCarthy recently highlighted vital evidence in the House GOP investigation of several payments going to "Biden shell companies" while he was serving as vice president.

The Speaker’s Lobby: Dominating the DC news cycle

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

There are weeks on Capitol Hill where one story dominates.

Last week it was the defense bill.

But when the former President of the United States appears headed toward another indictment, you know what prevails.

IN THE SENATE, TIME IS PARAMOUNT

This is just not former President Trump duking it out with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Nor is this Mr. Trump facing prosecution over his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

This is a likely indictment connected to the riot at the Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

And even though former President Trump hasn’t been in office in two-and-a-half-years, he still manages to command nearly every cubic centimeter of news oxygen and political conversations on Capitol Hill.

Word of additional legal action followed a familiar script on Capitol Hill. Many of Mr. Trump’s fiercest loyalists rushing to defend him. Then there were a few Republicans spinning or slightly distancing themselves from former President Trump. Democrats – per usual – went all in, excoriating the former President.

"It’s absolute bull----," proclaimed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of Mr. Trump’s closest allies. "This is the only way the Democrats have to beat President Trump is to arrest him. Smear him. Charge him with ridic, useless charges. All they want is a coverup of Joe Biden’s crimes. Hunter Biden’s crimes."

Greene said that the American justice system was "worse than some of the most corrupt, third world countries." She then proclaimed that Mr. Trump "is proven innocent time and time and time again and he’ll be proven innocent again."

And now for a diametrically-opposed view from the Democrats.

"There will be criminal accountability for everybody who committed crimes against the government," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. "We’re talking about a violent insurrection, surrounding an insider, political coup. This is a matter of the utmost pressing urgency to the American people to make sure we never relive something like that."

"The President was a central figure in an effort to overturn an election. An effort to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in our history," said Mr. Trump’s nemesis, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Schiff served on the House’s panel investigating the 2021 riot at the Capitol. However, the California Democrat wondered why it may have taken so long to target the former President.

"They moved quickly when it came to those who broke into this building behind us and assaulted police officers. But it seemed like almost a year, if not more, before they started looking at those who did the organizing. Did the inciting. Those who conspired to defraud the American people."

Schiff then suggested that the 1/6 committee "unearthed evidence that the Justice Department could not ignore."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS NARROWLY PASS CONTROVERSIAL DEFENSE BILL

That said, there was consternation at one point by prosecutors that the 1/6 committee wasn’t helpful in providing information to the DoJ for potential criminal probes.

In fact, much of the week in Congress was about 2024 – even though it didn’t appear to be about 2024.

The House Oversight Committee heard from two senior IRS whistleblowers who claim that Hunter Biden should have faced felony charges over his tax returns rather than a misdemeanor as part of his plea deal.

"They were recommending for approval, felony and misdemeanor charges for the 2017, ‘18 and ‘19 tax years. That did not happen here. And I am not sure why," testified IRS agent Joseph Ziegler.

Democrats said the IRS whistleblowers weren’t responsible for deciding who is prosecuted and what charges they may face. Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss said he had the ultimate authority to bring charges. But the whistleblowers – and many Republicans – believe pressure from above handcuffed prosecutors.

"We’ve got the two best agents in the place on the case," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "And then, ‘Shazam!’ Something changes."


At one point in the hearing, Greene warned everyone that "viewer discretion was advised." She then displayed lewd poster boards of Hunter Biden in compromising positions.

"It's very serious that Hunter Biden was paying this woman through his law firm and then writing it off as business tax exemptions," said Greene.

Republicans claim that Hunter Biden’s tax issues and overseas business dealings are connected to President Biden and demonstrate rampant corruption. But before the hearing, Raskin predicted that no matter what the GOP did, they wouldn’t demonstrate wrongdoing by the President.

This is why the hearing oozed with 2024 presidential politics. Democrats contend the GOP only held the hearing to target the President.

"I think (House Oversight Committee) Chairman (James) Comer, R-Ky., might have to fill out a FEC form as an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign based on what's going on in this hearing," proclaimed Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

But amid the looming indictment for former President Trump, Republicans said the hearing only underscored two standards of justice in the U.S. One for the Bidens. Another for Mr. Trump.

"The DoJ, the FBI and the IRS have worked to not only protect the criminal actions of the Biden family, but to continue persecuting President Trump," said Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C.

The intensity of that rhetoric will only grow once the feds formally indict the President. The extent of the indicment and what it alleges about Mr. Trump’s actions related to the election and the riot will amplify the invective the GOP hurls at prosecutors and the Biden Administration. And what Democrats say about the former President and Republicans.

This is why some Republicans now want to expunge the two impeachments of former President Trump. However, it’s far from clear that the House would ever consider such a resolution - let alone have the votes to approve such an expungement.

That said, Republicans presented a big platform this week to Mr. Biden’s top 2024 challenger, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy testified at a hearing about censorship and the weaponization of government.

"This committee has come to embody weaponization itself," said Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., characterized RFK Jr. as "a living, breathing, false flag operation" for his views on the pandemic.

Kennedy drew criticism for declaring that COVID-19 was "engineered" in a way to grant immunity to persons of Chinese and European Jewish descent.

The week ended without an indictment for former President Trump. That gives lawmakers fodder to spar over next week.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, there’s a House Oversight Committee hearing scheduled next Wednesday on UFO’s. Perhaps that’s the only subject which could upstage the prospective indictment of the former President.

Speaker McCarthy promised Trump a House vote to expunge impeachments, report says

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised former President Trump that the House would vote on expunging Trump's two impeachments this month, according to a new report.

McCarthy made the promise last month to quell Trump's anger after the speaker said he was not sure whether Trump was the best candidate to win the 2024 election, Politico reported Thursday. McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump allies in the House pushed to expunge Trump's impeachment votes in late June, with House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., proposing the measure. McCarthy did not back the move, however, and it never came up for a vote.

Many Republican members have opposed the idea, arguing that dredging up Trump's impeachments would only serve to hurt Republicans in vulnerable seats.

HERE'S WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLLS SHOW

SEN. VANCE BLOCKS BIDEN'S DOJ NOMINEES IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP INDICTMENT: 'THIS MUST STOP'

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., pushed back on plans to expunge Trump's impeachments last month, saying, "It sounds a little bit weird to me. It is what it is, it happened."

Should he plan to, McCarthy has just one week to bring up the issue before August recess begins and members return to their home districts until September.

MARCO RUBIO WARNS US WILL PAY 'TERRIBLE PRICE' FOR TRUMP INDICTMENT: 'YOU THINK THIS ENDS HERE?'

Expunging his impeachment charges would be a largely symbolic victory for Trump, however, who faces a slew of very real criminal charges relating to his business dealings and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump maintains a dominant lead over his Republican primary opponents despite the charges. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trails him by dozens of points in second. Other candidates like former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence remain in the single digits.

Kevin McCarthy reflects on history during tour of first speaker’s house

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., recently toured the home of Frederick Muhlenberg, the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and reflected on the historical importance of his position.

During the tour in Trappe, Pennsylvania, located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, leaders of a local historical society took McCarthy around Muhlenberg's property — dubbed "The Speaker's House" — and the Henry Muhlenberg House which was owned by Frederick Muhlenberg's father, a well-known 18th century Lutheran minister.

"I wanted to come to the house of the very first speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Muhlenberg. You learn from history," McCarthy told Fox News Digital in an exlusive interview following the tour. "Think about if you became the very first speaker of Congress — setting up a new nation, how did you create the tradition, the history?"

"And when you study his time of being speaker, there's something that stands out: I might have a little in common with him. He didn't win on the first ballot. It took him a couple ballots to win there," he continued. "So, he had some fortitude, some grit, which you needed back in the time. How did he make sure the Constitution was upheld? How did he make sure committees did the work, that the speaker didn't suck in all the power?"

MCCARTHY HINTS AT GARLAND IMPEACHMENT OVER 'WEAPONIZATION' OF DOJ AFTER WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS

McCarthy added that he was especially interested in learning about how Muhlenberg was able to work with the first U.S. President George Washington in the late 1700s as they established the foundations of the federal government for years to come. 

"Being a speaker of the House is not an easy job — you know that going in," he said. "But how do you wrangle and help people come together, uphold the Constitution, but pass the type of legislation through committees that puts America onto a better track, that tomorrow will be better than today?"

GOP REBELS WANT 'COMMITMENTS IN WRITING' FROM MCCARTHY TO END STANDOFF, FREEDOM CAUCUS MEMBER SAYS

In January, after multiple unsuccessful votes over the course of four days, McCarthy was elected the 55th ever Speaker of the House on the 15th ballot. The tight vote came after a group of Republicans demanded a series of concessions — such as ensuring certain committee assignments, creating a new "weaponization" subcommittee, and giving lower-ranked members power to alter bills — and for McCarthy to prioritize various conservative priorities.

And McCarthy's speakership hit another snag last month when House Freedom Caucus Republicans delayed votes on protecting gas stoves, a major GOP priority, in response to the way McCarthy and other leaders pushed the debt ceiling bill. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said he and others were fighting back against the "era of the imperial speakership."

McCarthy broadly reflected on the first six months of his speakership following the tour in Trappe, saying he understood the job isn't easy, but that he is willing to make the right decisions even if they aren't immediately popular.

"Muhlenberg, a lot of people may not know him, but he literally made a decision following George Washington on a Jay Treaty that cost him his political career — literally was attacked by a family member over it," McCarthy told Fox News Digital. "It was the right decision going forward. But emotionally, where the country was at, they wanted another decision." 

"He took the leadership upon himself to make that tie-breaking vote where George Washington believed our nation was too young to go to war with Britain again," he continued. "You can learn so many times in history that people putting the country first, made the right decision. It might not make you popular at the moment, but history will be very kind when they look back upon you."

HOSTAGES BUT NO DEMANDS: MCCARTHY SAYS GOP REBELS' CONCERNS UNCLEAR AS FLOOR BLOCKADE FORCES HOUSE ADJOURNMENT

The current Speaker said reflecting on history reminds him democracy isn't going to be "smooth," but will ultimately yield the best results.

"Democracy, as Abraham Lincoln put it, of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from Earth. There's a reason why: because our power doesn't rest with government, it's with the people," McCarthy added. "I actually embrace the struggle when it comes because I know it's working. You might not get everything that you want, but you know the struggle, that the people still have the power and you work through it."

According to Lisa Minardi, the executive director of Historic Trappe which manages an array of historical sites in the area, The Speaker's House was scheduled 20 years ago to be demolished and replaced by a CVS Pharmacy as part of strip mall expansion plan, but was rescued after a group of citizens who wanted to preserve the site banded together.

Today, the home is being renovated as part of a multi-year renovation funded, in large part, by individual donors. The largest project has been executing the restoration of the home's roof which was successfully completed in 2017. The organization is now focused on replacing windows and refurbishing the entire exterior, and plans to soon shift its focus on the interior.

"There's only one first speaker of the House," Minardi told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Frederick Muhlenberg is just incredibly important historically. He's important at the local level, the county level, the state and the national level."

"Not just here in our community of Trappe, but throughout all of those levels," she continued. "So, we think we've got a great story to tell. We want to, you know, get him on the radar."

Fox News Digital Production Assistant Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.