Category: fox-news/politics/house-of-representatives/republicans

No clear spending deal as Congress inches closer to government shutdown

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Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are set to return to Capitol Hill on Monday afternoon, with less than two weeks to hash out some sort of deal to fund the government past Sept. 30.

If Congress can’t agree on spending priorities for the next fiscal year, or at least on a stopgap spending patch known as a continuing resolution (CR) to extend the current year’s funding, they risk sending the government into a partial shutdown. 

Some GOP groups are discussing a 30-day stopgap CR with some border security measures attached, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.

One senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital that they believe a shutdown is likely but dismissed the notion it would be long term.

"It might just be that you know, we're getting close to the deal in the nth hour and it shuts down because it’s Saturday, when this all starts happening. It might be shut down over a weekend, open up on a Monday, that would be a shutdown, technically," a senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital on Friday. "I don’t think anyone can tell you right now with any degree of certainty that it’s going to be a month-long shutdown."

Sept. 30, the end of fiscal year 2023, falls on a Saturday this year.

MCCARTHY 'DANGLING' BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY TO DELAY RECKONING OVER SPENDING, SOME CONSERVATIVES SAY

Last week, plans to pass spending bills in both chambers of Congress were upended by conservative concerns. 

In the House, a planned vote on the defense appropriations bill — the second of 12 that House GOP leadership have promised to pass in place of a large "omnibus" spending bill that many Republicans oppose — was scuttled after it became clear that members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies would not let it pass over their concerns with the spending process.

Meanwhile, the Senate, where spending has so far been a widely bipartisan topic, was stopped from advancing a "minibus" bundling the appropriations bills for Veterans Affairs, agriculture and transportation by lawmaker objections led by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. 

RONNY JACKSON WARNS MCCARTHY LOSING SPEAKERSHIP 'INEVITABLE' IF HE DOESN'T CAVE TO CONSERVATIVES ON SPENDING

It’s caused discord within both chambers, particularly in the House, where GOP defense appropriators held a press conference on Friday fuming at Republicans holding up the military’s spending bill.

"You may have issues with policies in other agencies, but if you oppose the rule, which is effectively preventing this bill from moving forward, and if you oppose the passage of this bill, you are enabling the failed defense policies and this of this administration and accelerating the downward trajectory of our nation's security," said Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif. "And I don't envy the person that… votes against this bill when they have to explain to their constituents, and more importantly, to our troops."

Garcia also voiced opposition to a CR, as he and other defense hawks argue it delays valuable military progress.

But Republican and Democrat leaders in both chambers acknowledged last month that a CR would be necessary to buy lawmakers more time to make a deal. Both the 175-member Republican Study Committee and the hardliner conservative House Freedom Caucus have signaled they will oppose a CR that does not include key GOP policy items.

However, as of Friday afternoon, it appeared the Republican factions are forging ahead with a CR plan without House leadership. Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., leaders of the Main Street Caucus, said on Thursday evening, "The Republican Main Street Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus are working together in good faith to establish a plan to lower spending, secure the border, and avoid a government shutdown. The talks have been productive and we’ll continue to work toward a deal."

HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS HE OPPOSES ALL TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILLS AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

A source familiar with the talks confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday that the two groups are working toward a CR whose "major contours" include 30 days of government funding plus core parts of the House GOP’s border security bill.

Those talks are between the Main Street Caucus and Freedom Caucus only, the source said when asked if GOP leaders were involved.

Another Republican aide familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital that GOP leaders are aware of them but allowing the members to sort it out themselves. Leadership is offering them technical support where necessary, the aide said.

The aide said lawmakers are currently debating whether to add disaster relief as well. However, it's highly unlikely that anything other than a "clean" CR would pass the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed that lawmakers would not leave this week until some kind of spending agreement is passed.

"We've got another week. I've told my members that when we come back in, don't plan on leaving, we've got to get business done. History has shown no one wins a shutdown," McCarthy said Friday.

House Republicans hold conference call to avert government shutdown, pass defense spending bill

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House Republicans held a members-only conference call with Freedom Caucus members on Sunday night in an attempt to avert a government shutdown, Fox News has learned.

The goal of the call, which took place at 8 p.m., was to agree on a continuing resolution to fund the government for another month. The Freedom Caucus and House Republican leadership have been disputing over what a funding package could look like.

Before the call took place, sources told Fox News Digital that there has been "good progress" between Freedom Caucus members and other Republicans. 

The interim spending bill, which is good for 31 days, is expected to renew current funding while incorporating more border and immigration-related spending. The House aims to vote on it on Thursday.

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

The continuing resolution would also fund veteran and military spending at current levels, while marking a 1% cut from FY 2023 discretionary spending levels. House Republicans are hoping to pass their defense spending bill this week.

The defense spending bill will also be coupled with House Resolution 2 (HR 2), which is intended to limit asylum provisions and tighten up border security.

Notably, the defense bill does not include additional disaster relief money for Ukraine, which has been requested by the White House.

MCCARTHY TO GREEN LIGHT BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY THIS WEEK

Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Vice Chair Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Executive Board Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) told Fox News that they are working with Freedom Caucus members to build support for the continuing resolution.

"Congress must keep government open and secure the border," the statement read. "That’s why we’ve worked with leaders of the House Freedom Caucus to introduce a 31-day continuing resolution laser-focused on fixing the crisis at our southern border.

"We want to thank members of both the Republican Main Street Caucus and House Freedom Caucus, as well as a broad cross-section of other members from across the Republican conference for their contributions to this effort," the statement added.

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?"

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.

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

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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.

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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.

GOP rep calls for impeachment inquiry into Biden energy secretary Granholm: ‘she lied, under oath’

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FIRST ON FOX: Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York called for Congress to launch an impeachment inquiry into Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday for giving false testimony to Congress about her family's stock ownership.

Tenney called for the investigation during remarks, shared in advance to Fox News Digital, at a House Science and Technology Committee hearing where Granholm testified about her agency's science and technology priorities. Tenney, who is the first lawmaker to demand an impeachment inquiry into Granholm, cited a series of violations she said Granholm has made since taking office in 2021.

"Since taking office in January of 2021, Secretary Granholm has violated the Hatch Act multiple times," Tenney remarked during the hearing. "She owned Proterra stock while her boss, President Biden, repeatedly promoted the company. Her husband owned Ford stock while she personally promoted the companies’ work with official resources."

"And most critically, she lied, under oath, to Congress, claiming that you did not own any individual stocks when in fact she did. If anyone would like to dispute these charges, all the evidence you need is in the articles I submitted into the record," the New York Republican continued.

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Tenney added that Granholm "chose to ignore the rules and lied to Congress under oath." She cited the Department of Energy's ethics guidelines which state that "public service is a public trust; employees must place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain."

"That's perjury, period," Tenney continued. Why should you not resign or why should we not consider some kind of impeachment inquiry into you for your perjury charges?" Tenney said.

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In June, Granholm admitted in a letter to lawmakers that she falsely testified under oath during a Senate hearing in April that she didn't own any individual stocks. 

While Granholm divested from a variety of stocks in 2021, she acknowledged in the letter — which was sent to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leadership — that she maintained shares of six companies worth up to $120,000. On April 20, however, Granholm testified in response to a question from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that she had sold all of her shares of individual companies.

In addition, Granholm said she discovered on May 13 that her husband Daniel Mulhern owned $2,457.89 worth of shares in Ford Motor Company. Those shares were then sold on May 15, a Monday, when the stock market opened.

"As a public servant, I take very seriously the commitment to hold myself to the highest ethical standards, and I regret the accidental omission of my spouse’s interest in Ford," Granholm wrote in the letter. "This is a commitment I made to you, the President, and most importantly the American people."

And in response to Tenney's questions Thursday, Granholm said she had made an honest mistake during the April hearing.

"Of course I do not believe it's okay to violate ethics laws. Nor does anyone else in the Department of Energy," Granholm told Tenney. "I made a mistake when I testified saying that I had sold all stock. I honestly thought we had."

Granholm has also sparked criticism for maintaining shares of electric vehicle maker Proterra after being confirmed to lead the Energy Department and while the White House promoted the company. She also violated the STOCK Act nine times by failing to disclose $240,000 worth of stock sales within the legally-mandated time frame.

And last year, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found Granholm guilty of violating the Hatch Act during a 2021 interview where she explicitly endorsed Democratic Party candidates in her official capacity as energy secretary.

McCarthy exasperated with fellow Republicans on funding fight: ‘I’m not quite sure what they want’

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed exasperation with a small group of his fellow Republicans on Thursday, saying he is not sure what they want to get out of ongoing funding negotiations.

House lawmakers are debating funding for the Department of Defense this week, and McCarthy claims he has members who have "no complaint" about the bill but still oppose it. Meanwhile, members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) say they have made their demands clear and blame GOP leadership for refusing to go toe-to-toe with Democrats in a government shutdown.

"Yeah, I don't understand how members, they have no complaint about the DOD bill. But they don't want to pass it. I got a small group of members who don't want to vote for CR, don't want to vote for individual bills and don't want to vote for an Omni. I’m not quite sure what they want," McCarthy told Punchbowl News on Thursday.

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McCarthy made the public comment ahead of a private meeting with fellow Republicans. After the meeting, McCarthy told reporters that he "showed frustration" with his colleagues.

"Nobody wins in a government shutdown. Nobody wins. I've been here. But what we want to do is we want to be able to win the policies that we've been fighting for and telling the American public we want to make sure our border becomes secure. We want to stop the runaway spending," he said.

McCarthy went on to say he is not concerned about threats from a handful of Republicans to file a motion to vacate against him.

"If it takes a fight, I'll have a fight," he said.

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, responded to McCarthy during a radio appearance with Glenn Beck on Thursday just after the closed-door meeting. He referenced demands about border security and President Biden's use of the federal bureaucracy.

"I just came out of a Republican conference meeting, and it wasn't where I wanted it to be," Roy said of the negotiations. "Your Republican conference, all too happy to campaign on border security, won't do a damn thing about it."

"We have to use the power of the purse to force change. So we are trying to force Kevin and the leadership of the Republican conference to understand that now's the time to force Biden to come to the table. They're so afraid of a shutdown that they are unwilling to, you know, stand up and lock arms and tell President Biden, ‘No more,'" he added.

Roy's office has previously pointed to a letter from the HFC last month detailing their demands for the budget battle. It said they will oppose any budget move that does not include the House-passed "Secure the Border Act of 2023," address the "weaponization" of the Justice Department and FBI, as well as end "the Left's cancerous woke policies in the Pentagon."

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McCarthy emerged from Thursday morning's contentious meeting and announced that the House will reconvene next week and will not leave until the government has been funded.

McCarthy's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The Republican in-fighting comes just days after McCarthy announced an impeachment inquiry against Biden, a long-sought priority for HFC members.

Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report

House GOP fires back at ‘smear merchant’ Dem operative targeting families of lawmakers investigating Bidens

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FIRST ON FOX: A longtime Democratic operative and activist says he will be investigating the families of Republican lawmakers in response to the move by the GOP to investigate President Biden and son Hunter’s overseas business dealings, sparking backlash from a pair of House Republicans.

"Gloves are off, families are on," David Brock, Democratic activist and president of Facts First USA, recently told Puck News. "We’ve been looking into how the children of those same members may have benefited from their parents’ position. We’re not shy about going after the members."

Brock, a longtime Clinton ally who founded Media Matters for America and American Bridge 21st Century, announced in November he was leaving the left-wing groups after nearly two decades to launch Facts First USA to help President Biden fight Republicans in the new Congress.

"This work has been ongoing, and we will soon have more to share publicly about a key member of Republican leadership whose family has gotten multiple jobs from their Congressional donors," a spokesperson for Facts First USA told Fox News Digital. 

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"If people want to investigate the Biden family, then what's good for the goose is good for gander. But no one should feel intimidated if they aren't doing anything improper."

Brock, who got his start as a conservative freelance reporter before switching to the Democratic Party in the mid-1990s, was once described by former Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, who is currently a top Biden aide, of being "bats--- crazy." 

He's been a prominent face in Democratic circles for nearly two decades. The New York Times reported in November that Brock's progressive groups "play important roles in the Democratic Party’s ecosystem."

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GOP Congressman Darrell Issa, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital the move from Brock reeks of desperation. 

"Nothing says desperation like threatening to sic a smear merchant on innocent families," Issa said. "This is all you need to know about how worried Democrats and the White House are about having to answer for Joe Biden’s culture of corruption." 

Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference, told Fox News Digital that Republicans will not be intimidated by "radical outside groups."

"The far left and their radical outside allies are desperately trying to cover up and distract from Joe Biden's illegal corruption," Stefanik said. 

"They know they cannot pressure House Republicans into stopping our investigation into President Biden, so they are now attempting to intimidate Republicans into stopping our investigations by targeting our families with opposition research attacks from dark money groups. House Republicans will not be intimidated by these radical outside groups."

That alleged culture of corruption led to an announcement this week that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is directing House committees to launch an official impeachment inquiry against Biden looking at ties between the president and son Hunter’s overseas business dealings.

"Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct — a culture of corruption," McCarthy posted on social media Tuesday.

Democrats have insisted that the impeachment inquiry is politically motivated, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday Republicans have "no evidence, none, that [Biden] did anything wrong."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report

Senate GOP rallies behind McCarthy’s impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden: ‘Web of corruption’

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Several Senate Republicans are uniting in support of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's move to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Biden despite a growing number of skeptical GOP leaders in the upper chamber.

The inquiry will determine whether there are grounds to bring formal charges (articles of impeachment) against Biden over allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption," McCarthy said Tuesday.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday on his "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast that he's been "calling for the House to open impeachment inquiries for months."

"I think the evidence long ago cleared that threshold, but they finally done it," he said.

"Joe Biden's confession on tape is direct evidence that he committed one of the critical elements of bribery," Cruz later said. "Now, we don't yet have direct evidence of every element of the crime, but we have direct evidence of one of the most critical aspects of the crime, which is the quote that Joe Biden has admitted and that is unequivocally direct evidence, and it's pretty damn compelling."

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ANNOUNCES FORMAL IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN

Meanwhile, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he didn’t think "we would be down this road" if the Biden administration was "being open and transparent with everybody to begin with."

"There was a lot of information that was requested by the committee that has jurisdiction, from the Ways and Means [Committee] to Judiciary to Oversight," he said. "And the fact is, is they were slow-balling or just refusing to share the information."

If enough evidence is compiled and articles of impeachment are sent over to the upper chamber, Mullin said, "Then it's our job to put him on trial and, if so, convict him."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said the House has "done an excellent job trying to uncover the tangled web of corruption that we've seen coming out of the Biden administration and specifically the Biden family."

"Clearly, there are facts that need further investigation," he said. "The House is headed in the right direction."

Also on Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters that he would probably be a "yes" vote on impeaching the president, The Messenger reported.

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"If I had any legitimate questions, and I think there are questions about the narrative, yeah, I would," he said.

"I've been involved in every impeachment in this country but one," Graham said.

Although Graham supports an inquiry, he said that "we need to have structure here" in response to McCarthy evading a floor vote before launching the inquiry. McCarthy said former Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created that precedent when she sidestepped a vote to impeach former President Donald Trump for the second time in 2021.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., also said in a statement Tuesday that "serious allegations" have been elevated about Biden's "involvement with his son’s overseas business dealings that can’t be ignored."

"We need to get to the full truth, and an impeachment inquiry is the right way to do that," he said.

Conversely, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated his support of the inquiry. He told reporters Tuesday when asked about the House's effort: "I don't think Speaker McCarthy needs any advice from the Senate on how to run the House."

White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations Ian Sams slammed the effort as "extreme politics."

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"House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped (sic) because he doesn't have support. Extreme politics at its worst," Sams wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The House is probing Biden’s foreign business ties with his son, Hunter, in Ukraine and China. Republicans hope to unearth bribery negotiations that suggest Biden leveraged his position as then-vice president under former President Barack Obama for personal gain.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will lead the inquiry alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Should the House vote to impeach Biden, the Senate would serve as a tribunal where senators would review evidence, listen to witnesses and cast votes for the acquittal or conviction of the impeached official.

GOP legislators may face an uphill battle as the Democrat-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict Biden. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday called the decision to launch an impeachment inquiry "absurd."

House Oversight to hold first Biden impeachment hearing this month

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., previewed the next steps for the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden Wednesday, announcing plans to hold a hearing this month. 

Comer spoke at the weekly House GOP leadership news conference Wednesday, telling reporters House investigators will seek additional emails dating back to the Obama era, when Biden served as vice president, and witness testimony from people who allege the Biden family made millions of dollars in corrupt business deals with foreign nationals. 

"We plan on having a hearing in September that will kind of evaluate some of the things that we believe have happened from the Biden family that are in violation with our law," Comer said at the weekly House GOP leadership news conference. 

Comer's spokesman said specifics on the time and location of the hearing would be forthcoming. 

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Tuesday directed Comer to lead the inquiry in coordination with House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. 

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The effort to impeach Biden follows months of GOP-led investigations into the Biden family's foreign business dealings. Republicans have accused the president's son, Hunter Biden, of selling access to his father's influence in exchange for payments, some of which were allegedly reserved for Joe Biden.

The White House has denied any wrongdoing and called the GOP accusations baseless and politically motivated.

Comer defended the GOP impeachment drive Wednesday and claimed Republicans have shown that Biden lied repeatedly about his involvement with his son Hunter's business arrangements.

"I just want to kind of go back to where we were in January when we started this investigation," Comer said. "The narrative was that the laptop, [Hunter Biden's] laptop was Russian disinformation. Hunter Biden was a legitimate business guy, just like Jared Kushner. 

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"No Biden ever took from China because that's what Joe Biden said. No money ever changed hands while Joe Biden was vice president, and I actually believe that. Joe knew nothing about his son's dealings. And Joe never met with or spoke with any of the foreign nationals who had wired the family money. All of those things have been proven wrong because of the Republican majority and our investigation." 

As House Republicans move forward with impeachment, several of their Senate counterparts have voiced skepticism about the effort. 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said House Republicans must "not waste time" and deliver an "ironclad" case to impeach President Biden for the effort to succeed in the Senate. 

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said last week she does not believe there is enough evidence to impeach Biden. Senators Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., similarly questioned whether their House counterparts have alleged high crimes or misdemeanors against Biden specifically, Axios reported.