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

Johnson defends vote to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry amid White House ‘impasse’: ‘We have no choice’

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House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday defended a vote scheduled this week to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, arguing that unlike what Democrats did with the "sham impeachment" of former President Trump, Republicans are committed to the "rule of law." 

Fox News’ Chad Pergram pressed Johnson on an expectation from the GOP base to bring an impeachment vote sometime in the spring ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

Johnson explained that House Republicans have "come to this impasse" in their investigations into President Biden’s alleged involvement in his son, Hunter Biden’s business dealings, and are "hitting a stone wall because the White House is impeding that investigation" and not allowing witnesses to come forward and thousands of pages of documents. The vote on a resolution to formalize the House impeachment inquiry, which is currently set for Wednesday, is not the same as a vote to impeach.

"We have no choice to fulfill our constitutional responsibility. We have to take the next step. We're not making a political decision. It's not. It's a legal decision," Johnson said at the House Republican Conference press conference on Tuesday. "So people have feelings about it one way or the other. We can't prejudge the outcome. The Constitution does not permit us to do so. We have to follow the truth where it takes us and that is exactly what we're going to do." 

HOUSE OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT QUIETLY MEETING WITH GOP LAWMAKERS IN EFFORT TO QUASH IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: SOURCES

Noting some frustration about the time being invested in the impeachment probe, Johnson argued, "this is the way the founders anticipated that something like this would go."

"There shouldn't be any such thing as a snap impeachment, a sham impeachment like the Democrats did against President Trump. This is the opposite of that," Johnson said. "And that's why people are getting restless, because they want things to happen quickly. If you follow the Constitution and you do the right thing, you cannot rush it. You have to follow the facts." 

Piggybacking off Pergram’s question about pressure for Johnson to bring the impeachment vote while Republicans hold a slim majority, another reporter asked Johnson, "If you get into the spring and decide not to impeach the president based on the inquiry, you would be comfortable with that decision essentially absolving him months before a presidential election?" 

"We're not going to prejudge the outcome of this," Johnson responded. "We can't because, again, it's not a political calculation. We're following the law, and we are the rule of law team. And I'm going to hold to that as my commitment." 

CONGRESS AIMS TO HOLD VOTE TO INITIATE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Wednesday’s vote will allow the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to continue their investigations into the Biden family business dealings, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., explained, stating that the "Biden administration has been stonewalling our investigations."

The Justice Department has refused to allow two attorneys to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, Emmer said at the press conference. The White House sent House Oversight and Accountability Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a letter stating, "they have no intention of complying with our subpoenas and requests for interviews without a formal vote," according to Emmer, who also stressed how the National Archives has "withheld thousands of pages of documents and emails."

"It's clear the House will have to defend our lawful investigations in court, and passing this resolution will put us in the best position possible to enforce our subpoenas and set forth a clear process," Emmer said. "As we have said numerous times before, voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal impeachment. We will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead. And if they uncovered evidence of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards impeachment proceedings be considered. No one in this country is above the law, and that includes President Joe Biden." 

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House Rules Committee to consider resolution to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry

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The House Rules Committee is set to meet Tuesday morning to consider a resolution that would formalize the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

If the resolution framework is passed out of committee, a source familiar told Fox News Digital that a full House vote on the floor to formalize the investigation could take place as soon as Wednesday.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT QUIETLY MEETING WITH GOP LAWMAKERS IN EFFORT TO QUASH IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: SOURCES

The House impeachment inquiry, which is led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, was launched by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in September.

While the inquiry was launched, it was never formally voted on the House floor.

Sources familiar with the effort to formalize the inquiry told Fox News Digital that the move would strengthen subpoena power for the committees as part of their investigation.

CONGRESS AIMS TO HOLD VOTE TO INITIATE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

A formalized inquiry would strengthen existing subpoenas in court and force individuals to comply, as Biden officials and family members — like Hunter Biden — have pushed back on their compelled testimony or document production.

For example, Hunter Biden was subpoenaed for a deposition set for Dec. 13, but his attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the president’s son would not comply and would only testify in a public setting. Comer and Jordan have threatened to hold the president’s son in contempt of Congress if he doesn't show up on Wednesday.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

The chairmen are investigating any foreign money received by the Biden family, whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business dealings, and steps allegedly taken by the Biden administration to "slow, hamper, or otherwise impede the criminal investigation into the President’s son, Hunter Biden, which involves funds received by the Biden family from foreign sources."

HUNTER BIDEN'S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI DEMANDS BIDEN 'STOP LYING' ABOUT 2017 MEETING

The top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has been quietly and informally meeting with Republicans ahead of the meeting in an effort to quash the inquiry altogether.

Sources said Raskin has been meeting with "right-wing to more moderate members" in an effort to counter GOP arguments, investigative steps and evidence collected throughout the investigation.

Those sources told Fox News Digital that some Republicans, in recent days, have been "especially receptive to seeing the Administration’s record of cooperation with investigators."

NATIONAL ARCHIVES TO HAND OVER 62,000 BIDEN RECORDS TO HOUSE GOP, INCLUDING EMAILS USING ALIASES

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has obtained "fact sheets" that House Oversight Democrats plan to share with both Democrats and Republicans to support their efforts to quash the impeachment inquiry.

"These fact sheets are a hat-in-hand, fact-based appeal to House Republicans," a senior House Democrat aide told Fox News Digital. "Republicans may not be getting all of the facts from Mr. Comer, so we are making sure that they have the full picture as they decide whether to endorse this impeachment effort."

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

But Comer told Fox News Digital that it is "ironic Democrats continue to say there is no evidence and then at every turn seek to prevent the Oversight Committee from gathering evidence."

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

"Despite Democrats' best efforts, the House Oversight Committee has produced evidence revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden last name," Comer told Fox News Digital. "We will continue to follow the facts and hold this president accountable for his corruption."

The White House has blasted the inquiry. President Biden has maintained he has never been in business with his son or spoken to him about his foreign business ventures.

House Freedom Caucus elects Republican who voted to oust McCarthy as new leader

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The House Freedom Caucus elected a new chairman on Monday night, picking Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., as the hardline conservative group's leader for 2024.

Good was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early October.

"No comment tonight," Good told reporters while leaving a Freedom Caucus meeting just minutes before 10 p.m.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'SOON'

He was similarly coy earlier in the evening after a closed-door House GOP conference meeting. Asked by Fox News Digital of his policy goals if he became chairman, he said, "I'll wait to talk about it after tonight."

Good is a conservative who was elected in 2020 to Virginia's red-leaning 5th Congressional District, which is mostly rural but includes part of Charlottesville.

He is expected to have significant sway over House GOP policy as Freedom Caucus chair, with the group wielding outsized influence so far in Republicans' razor-thin House majority.

JOHNSON'S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES

The group's current chairman is Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a close ally of former President Trump's. Leaving the Monday night meeting, Perry was asked by Fox News Digital whether he had any advice for Good.

"Be true and be bold," Perry said, adding that he hoped Good would "lead better" as his successor. 

Good's relationship with leadership has, so far, been more fraught than Perry's, as he was one of 20 House Republicans who forced McCarthy to go through 15 rounds of voting before winning the speaker's gavel in January, months before finally voting to oust him.

KEVIN MCCARTHY, MATT GAETZ TRADE JABS AS FIERCE RIVALRY CONTINUES: HE 'BELONGS IN JAIL'

Perry said of that difference, "Past chairs, Jordan, Meadows, Biggs, kind of [grew] into the position. It's not just about you and your own desires. You're representing the group, the brand, and so you have to be open to maybe things that you wouldn't be otherwise."

He would not say whether the friction with McCarthy would be a liability for the group's negotiating power going forward.

"We're all in this together. So we, you know, get over our personal differences and disagreements and focus on the country," he said instead.

WH spurns Biden family ‘conspiracy theories’ ahead of likely impeachment inquiry vote, Hunter Biden deposition

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The White House refused to answer questions on Monday regarding what it claimed were "conspiracy theories" of corruption within the Biden family.

The refusal came as deputy press secretary Andrew Bates spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One ahead of a likely House vote this week to launch a formal impeachment inquiry against President Biden and the possible appearance of his son, Hunter, for a deposition before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees on Wednesday.

"I am not going to weigh in on that process except to say that President Biden is laser focused on the issues that matter most to American families," Bates said. "You see him today getting ready to deliver for firefighters in Philadelphia. Like I mentioned, we're making an historic announcement in advanced manufacturing to keep bringing jobs back from overseas." 

HOUSE OVERSIGHT DEMOCRAT QUIETLY MEETING WITH GOP LAWMAKERS IN EFFORT TO QUASH IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: SOURCES

"He's focused on what matters to American families, not Marjorie Taylor Greene's conspiracy theories about his own family," he added, referencing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a supporter of impeaching Biden and member of the GOP often targeted by Democrats for political attacks.

House Republicans hope to hold the formal vote on whether to officially launch the inquiry this week, but are facing opposition from Democrats and some members within their own party. However, GOP opposition to the inquiry has been shrinking as those members representing districts Biden won in 2020 have begun to back the move.

This includes Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who told Politico he was switching from opposing the inquiry to supporting it because of the increased likelihood Biden would cooperate.

DEAN PHILLIPS CALLS BIDEN POSSIBLY ‘UNELECTABLE’ IN 2024 AFTER GOP IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"The president is saying he isn’t going to provide information until we get an inquiry, so I went from a no to a yes," he told the outlet.

Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has spearheaded the sprawling investigation into Biden, which has focused on Hunter, his various foreign business dealings, and the money he got from them. The committee hosted an impeachment inquiry hearing in September as part of that probe.

The White House has repeatedly said that Biden did nothing wrong and had no knowledge of his son's business dealings.

KEY MCCONNELL ALLY MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CRUCIAL SWING STATE RACE THAT COULD FLIP SENATE RED

Additionally, the Oversight and Judiciary Committees posted an official notice last week for Hunter’s closed-door deposition on Wednesday, despite the president’s son so far refusing to comply with the subpoena to testify behind closed doors.

Hunter's attorney notified Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, last week that the president's son would only appear for testimony before the committee in a public setting. 

Comer and Jordan subsequently threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not appear for his deposition.

Fox News Thomas Catenacci, Brooke Singman and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

House Oversight Democrat quietly meeting with GOP lawmakers in effort to quash impeachment inquiry: Sources

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EXCLUSIVE: The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has been informally meeting with Republicans behind closed doors in an effort to persuade them to abandon the impeachment effort against President Biden, as GOP lawmakers prepare to vote to formalize the inquiry, Fox News Digital has learned.

Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has been quietly discussing impeachment with House Republicans with whom he has close relationships, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the conversations told Fox News Digital.

CONGRESS AIMS TO HOLD VOTE TO INITIATE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Sources said Raskin has been meeting with "right-wing to more moderate members" in an effort to counter GOP arguments, investigative steps, and evidence collected throughout the investigation. 

Those sources told Fox News Digital that some Republicans, in recent days, have been "especially receptive to seeing the Administration’s record of cooperation with investigators."

Meanwhile, Fox News Digital has obtained "fact sheets" House Oversight Democrats plan to share with both Democrats and Republicans to support their efforts to quash the impeachment inquiry.

HUNTER BIDEN'S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI DEMANDS BIDEN 'STOP LYING' ABOUT 2017 MEETING

"These fact sheets are a hat in hand, fact-based appeal to House Republicans," a senior House Democratic aide told Fox News Digital. "Republicans may not be getting all of the facts from Mr. Comer, so we are making sure that they have the full picture as they decide whether to endorse this impeachment effort."

One memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, is focused on obstruction in an effort to defend the Biden administration, as well as banks and private citizens, for providing "extraordinary cooperation" with the committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings and whether President Biden, himself, was involved.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES TO HAND OVER 62,000 BIDEN RECORDS TO HOUSE GOP, INCLUDING EMAILS USING ALIASES

Another memo defends the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Joe Biden, as vice president, boasted that he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

Shokin, at the time, was investigating Burisma Holdings — a Ukrainian natural gas firm where Hunter Biden sat on the board and collected highly-lucrative monthly payments.

But Democrats on the committee echoed past statements from the White House and the president, that Shokin’s firing was actually the "culmination of a years-long effort by a bipartisan, international coalition to address and root out corruption in Ukraine."

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

Republicans, as part of the impeachment inquiry, have been investigating an FBI-generated FD-1023 form, which alleged a bribery scheme between Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky.

That FD-1023 — a confidential human source (CHS) reporting document — reflects the FBI's interview with a "highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015.

The document includes allegations from Zlochevsky that he was "coerced" into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get Shokin fired.

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

That document has been passed to Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018. When tapped as special counsel in August, Attorney General Merrick Garland expanded Weiss's scope to include any other issues that have come up, or may come up, related to that investigation.

But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital it is "ironic Democrats continue to say there is no evidence and then at every turn seek to prevent the Oversight Committee from gathering evidence." 

"Despite Democrats' best efforts, the House Oversight Committee has produced evidence revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden last name," Comer told Fox News Digital. "We will continue to follow the facts and hold this president accountable for his corruption."

Meanwhile, the Democrats also prepared a memo focused on the funds Joe Biden received from his brother, James Biden, in 2017 and 2018. Both checks, one for $200,000 and one for $40,000, were both labeled as a "loan repayment" in the memo section.

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

Democrats stress that Joe Biden, as a private citizen, did, in fact, make "short-term, interest-free loans to his brother, James, who later repaid him." 

But House Oversight Republicans are demanding documentation from the White House to prove that there were, in fact, loans, to be repaid.

Republicans have also pointed to the timing of those payments to Biden—specifically the 2018 $40,000 check—as it came just days after James Biden was wired funds from Hunter Biden, after he received a $5 million wire from a Chinese energy company. Republicans say this is an example of how Joe Biden benefited from his family’s foreign business dealings.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

Hunter Biden received a $5 million wire from the Chinese company in August 2018 to his bank account, Hudson West III.

Hunter Biden then transferred $400,000 to his Owasco PC account. Funds were then transferred to a business account belonging to James Biden and later transferred to a personal account belonging to James Biden and Sara Biden.

Comer claims they used those funds to then cut a check to Joe Biden for $40,000. That check was labeled as a "loan repayment."

DOJ DEVIATED FROM 'STANDARD PROCESSES,' GAVE HUNTER BIDEN 'SPECIAL TREATMENT' IN PROBE, HOUSE GOP REPORT SAYS

President Biden has maintained that he was never in business with his son, and never discussed his son's foreign business dealings. 

Fox News Digital first reported last week metadata revealing that Biden communicated with his son and his son's business partner Eric Schwerin hundreds of times using an email alias while serving as vice president. Schwerin, though, at the time, served as Biden's bookkeeper. 

Biden, last week, from the White House, said: "I did not, they’re lies. It’s a bunch of lies." 

Raskin's efforts come ahead of a House Rules Committee meeting Tuesday, where lawmakers will consider a resolution to formalize the impeachment inquiry framework against President Biden. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., are leading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden. 

The chairmen are investigating any foreign money received by the Biden family, whether President Biden was involved in his family’s foreign business dealings, and steps allegedly taken by the Biden administration to "slow, hamper, or otherwise impede the criminal investigation into the President’s son, Hunter Biden, which involves funds received by the Biden family from foreign sources."

Outgoing House lawmakers lament chaos in Congress: ‘A bit of a carnival’

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House lawmakers who are choosing to retire at the end of this term are lamenting the chaos and division that has plagued the chamber for much of this year.

"My main reasons are personal," said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., who is leaving at the end of his current term. "I decided when I first [entered office] that I'd stay for a decade, and it'll be 12 years when I leave. But it's hard to deny that the…personal sacrifice we make being away from our families seems less easily justified when we come here and not only is it a bit of a carnival, but we're really not doing any substantive legislating."

This year saw the first time in history that a U.S. speaker of the House was forced out by their own members. The House GOP majority has seen deep divisions that have derailed House votes and seen normally sleepy procedural votes go down in flames. 

SPEAKER JOHNSON DRAWS BATTLE LINES AHEAD OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING SHOWDOWN

"I don't mind division. I actually don't mind a small majority. I think it's good. But I have a problem that we're not governing here," Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital.

"We just do appeasement and drama and [are] not concerned with serious issues. So we have to figure out how we can better inform the American people to put pressure on this failed institution."

Spartz left the door open to running for the House again in the future, but for now, said she was departing at the end of this term due to several factors.

JOHNSON'S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES

"I think it's a combination of things, you know, it’s just being exhausted from what is happening here. You know, really, worrying about what’s happening with the country, spending more time with my kids and businesses," she said.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., has served in the House of Representatives since 1996, but he said earlier this year that the current term would be his last.

When asked if the chaos and divisions seen this year had anything to do with his decision, he said, "I think, in this circumstance, I can – on the things I care about most – I can have as much or more impact as a civilian."

Blumenauer told Fox News Digital that this Congress began with obvious fractures within the majority party, and he did not see how those could be resolved.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'SOON'

"It's quite clear the way this Congress started, that there were deep, deep, irreconcilable divisions with my Republican colleagues," he said. "And it doesn't look like it's getting any better."

"It's troubling, but you know, we'll try our best this next year to help move some things."

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One GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said they anticipated more Republican exits after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced his intention to leave at the end of this year on Wednesday. 

"We’re going to lose a lot of experience, you know, and what you get in return sometimes are not really good policymakers. So it's a real challenge," the lawmaker said.

McCarthy exit underscores House GOP’s perilously slim majority

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House Republicans are approaching the new year wary about their slimming majority in the wake of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s announced exit.

McCarthy, R-Calif., said he would leave Congress by the end of this month after he was ousted from the speakership two months ago. It comes on the heels of the House expelling scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. 

House Republicans will only be able to lose three votes on any legislation to pass it without Democratic votes for the first several weeks of the new year, until special elections bring new members and change the margins yet again. 

"I mean, we’re operating on razor-thin margins here," Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. "Between God, gravity, indictments, and retirements, we're one day away from losing the majority depending on what happens."

KEVIN MCCARTHY, MATT GAETZ TRADE JABS AS FIERCE RIVALRY CONTINUES: HE 'BELONGS IN JAIL'

GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, conceded that the numbers were tight but argued it was not much different than their current situation.

"It's tough to operate in a four-seat [majority], it's tough to operate in a two-seat [majority]. We've got to be judicious in what we get done, and do something that we can all get behind," Moore said.

However, others echoed Garcia’s concerns that the slim majority would mean that any single member's absence is consequential when the House is in session.

MCCARTHY MAKES STUNNING ADMISSION ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: THE FACTS HAVE LED 'EVEN CLOSER'

Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said he did not believe it would make a difference "from a policy standpoint," but he added, "I just think from an attendance standpoint, it’d be hard."

"What are we going to be governing by, one vote? It's always a concern when people get sick, they get injured. It makes the whip’s job measurably more difficult with a narrower majority," said Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C.

A special election will take place to replace Santos in mid-February. California Gov. Gavin Newsom must set a date for an election to replace McCarthy.

That means House Republicans are likely to stay on thin margins through their Jan. 19 deadline for funding part of the government.

MORE AMERICANS THAN EVER THINK US HEADED IN WRONG DIRECTION AS CONGRESS' APPROVAL NEAR ROCK BOTTOM: SURVEY

Conservatives like Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, urged GOP leaders to resist giving Democrats concessions to pass legislation until the numbers in the House change.

"It's gonna be tight…We've dealt with it before, though, and I think that Speaker Johnson is doing an excellent job of keeping everybody together. And, frankly, I think people will realize how important it is to stay together," Self explained.

"What I do not want to see is bills put on the floor that pass with more Democrat than Republican votes. No, that is not a way to govern."

White House offers meeting with House GOP over subpoena standoff in Biden classified docs probe

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FIRST ON FOX: The White House is offering to meet with House Republicans to discuss their subpoena for former White House Counsel Dana Remus, suggesting her testimony could violate Executive Branch interests and threaten the ongoing special counsel investigation into President Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records.

Fox News Digital obtained a letter Special Counsel to the President Richard Sauber wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.

COMER, JORDAN SUBPOENA FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL FOR TESTIMONY RELATED TO BIDEN'S CLASSIFIED DOCS

"We were pleased to read that after several months of not responding to my letters, you are now ready to discuss accommodations to address the substantial Executive Branch institutional interests implicated by your subpoena to former White House Counsel Dana Remus," Sauber wrote in a letter to Comer and Jordan Wednesday. "We propose a meeting with your staff to start this important process."

NATIONAL ARCHIVES TO HAND OVER 62,000 BIDEN RECORDS TO HOUSE GOP, INCLUDING EMAILS USING ALIASES

Sauber, pointing back to previous correspondence with House Republicans, said that "by seeking testimony on matters that are the subject of an ongoing Special Counsel investigation, your efforts raise the troubling appearance that Congress seeks to interfere with a Department of Justice investigation."

"I have also raised concerns about your attempt to use compulsory process as part of your ‘impeachment inquiry,’ as this inquiry, along with subpoenas issued pursuant to it, was not properly authorized," Sauber wrote.

"Nonetheless, we believe engaging in good faith is critical to avoid a constitutional conflict, and we propose a meeting with your staff to start this important process," Sauber said. "Given the compressed timeline created by your waiting nearly three weeks to respond to my prior letter, we expect you will pull down the return date for your subpoena to allow the accommodation process to proceed."

Sauber’s letter was in response to a previously unreported letter Comer and Jordan sent to Sauber this week in which the committee chairmen said they were "willing to work with the White House to address any legitimate Executive Branch institutional interests."

Comer and Jordan, last month, subpoenaed former White House Counsel Dana Remus last month to appear for a deposition as part of their investigation into President Biden’s alleged mishandling and improper retention of classified records.

Comer and Jordan said this week that without a "specific legal basis or privilege that would prohibit her compliance with our subpoenas," they expect Remus will comply and appear for a deposition.

The White House, last month, requested that the committees "withdraw all subpoenas issued in connection with this investigation of President Biden," but House Republicans said White House officials "did not assert ay legal reason, let alone privilege, that would prevent Ms. Remus from sitting for a deposition with the committees."

Comer first requested Remus appear for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee in May. That request came after the panel obtained information that they said "contradicts important details from the White House’s and President Biden’s personal attorney’s statements about the discovery of documents at the Penn Biden Center, including the location and security of the classified documents."

Comer has described Remus as a "central figure in the early stages of coordinating the packing and moving of boxes that were later found to contain classified materials." Comer, in May, said Remus could be a witness "with potentially unique knowledge" about the matter.

COMER DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHETHER BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS MENTION COUNTRIES RELATED TO FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS

Meanwhile, the subpoena also came after Comer, in October, demanded answers from Special Counsel Robert Hur, who is investigating Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, on whether the sensitive, classified documents Biden retained were related to specific countries which were involved in his family’s lucrative foreign business deals.

Comer is investigating the Biden family’s foreign business dealings as part of the House impeachment inquiry, as well as Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Comer also requested from Hur a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings.

Biden sat down for an interview with Hur in October.

BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

"As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can, consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation," White House spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams said after the president's interview with the special counsel. 

Hur’s investigation comes after a batch of records from President Biden's time as vice president, including a "small number of documents with classified markings," were discovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president's personal attorneys on Nov. 2, 2022.

Additional classified records were discovered at President Biden’s Wilmington home in January. After that discovery, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel to investigate the matter.

National Archives to hand over 62,000 Biden records to House GOP, including emails using aliases

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EXCLUSIVE: The National Archives plans to provide more than 62,000 pages of additional records in response to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s requests, including President Biden's communications using email aliases, and records related to Hunter Biden, Fox News Digital has learned.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that the records are expected to be turned over to the committee in the coming days. The source said the production will be in addition to the more than 20,000 pages of records from Biden’s time as vice president that the National Archives already has made public on its website.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

Comer, R-Ky., initially asked for unredacted emails involving communications between Biden and Hunter Biden’s business associates in September. The committee was seeking unrestricted special access to a case record by the National Archives titled, "Records on Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Their Foreign Business Dealings," which was first made public as a result of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by America First Legal. 

Comer, in August, specifically requested any document or communication in which a pseudonym for Joe Biden was included, either as a sender, recipient, copied, or was included in the contents of the communication. The aliases and pseudonyms included but were not limited to Robert Peters, Robin Ware, and JRB Ware. Comer also requested any communication in which Hunter Biden and/or his business associates Eric Schwerin or Devon Archer were listed as a recipient, sender or copied.

He also requested drafts of Biden’s speech delivered to the Ukrainian Rada on Dec. 9, 2015; communications from his official vice presidential office to Schwerin, Archer, or Jeffrey Cooper; any records related to travel on Marine Two and Air Force Two; calendars; and more.

"The Biden White House still has an ‘F’ in document production to the Oversight Committee," Comer told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "The White House is trying to make an appearance of cooperation after two brave IRS whistleblowers yesterday provided information revealing Joe Biden used an alias as vice president to email directly with Hunter Biden’s business associate."

Comer was referring to records released by the House Ways & Means Committee turned over by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.

Shapley and Ziegler turned over metadata that revealed that Joe Biden, while serving as vice president, used email aliases to communicate with his son Hunter Biden and his business associate Eric Schwerin hundreds of times. Schwerin was president of Hunter Biden’s Rosemont Seneca.

"Just today, President Biden lied again when confronted with information that he interacted with his family’s business associates," Comer told Fox News Digital. "The White House must comply with all of our requests for records from Joe Biden’s time as vice president and all other committee requests related to the impeachment inquiry." 

Comer added: "Anything less is obstruction." 

DOJ DEVIATED FROM 'STANDARD PROCESSES,' GAVE HUNTER BIDEN 'SPECIAL TREATMENT' IN PROBE, HOUSE GOP REPORT SAYS

President Biden, on Wednesday, was asked about the hundreds of emails exchanged using his email alias to Hunter Biden and Schwerin, and denied they took place.

"I did not, they’re lies. It’s a bunch of lies," Biden said at the White House Wednesday.

Responding to the president, House Oversight Committee Republicans posted on X: "President Biden SHOCKED when confronted about the lies he told regarding his interactions related to his family cashing in on the Biden name."

"We have produced evidence revealing Joe Biden spoke, dined, took meetings, and had coffee with his son’s foreign business associates," the post continued. "Where are the fact checkers?"

Schwerin, in addition to working as president of Rosemont Seneca, also served as then-Vice President Biden’s "bookkeeper" from 2009 to 2017.

Schwerin, during a March 2023 meeting with the House Oversight Committee staff, explained that "he was not aware of any transactions into or out of the then-Vice President’s bank account related to business conducted by any Biden family member," a spokesperson for the Democrats on the committee told Fox News Digital. 

COMER, JORDAN THREATEN TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS AFTER HE REJECTS SUBPOENA FOR DEPOSITION

The White House has also cited Schwerin's statement that Biden was not involved in his family's business dealings when pushing back against Republicans' impeachment inquiry. 

A person familiar with Schwerin's role in handling then-Vice President Biden's finances told Fox News Digital that Schwerin worked on Biden's personal budget and helped coordinate with his tax preparers.

The individual also pointed to the frequency of Schwerin's communications with Biden and his top aides and said it was "inevitable" Rosemont Seneca business came up in conversations.

Comer has subpoenaed Schwerin for a deposition on Nov. 9. The committee is in communication with his attorney to set a date for the deposition. 

Comer is co-leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Speaker Johnson hits back at House GOP critics in closed-door meeting

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hit back at his critics within the GOP Conference at a closed-door member meeting on Tuesday morning. 

Three sources who were in the room told Fox News Digital that Johnson said something to the effect of, "We shouldn’t go out and tackle our quarterback before we even run the play."

All three sources said it was in response to the public criticism beginning to emerge as old House GOP fractures that were temporarily pushed back by Johnson’s election as speaker resurface.

HOUSE GOP DISCUSSING VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

It's a notable acknowledgment of the blowback from Johnson, who has not spoken publicly about any frustrations with wayward members of his conference.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said he would give Johnson a "D-minus" grade as speaker in comments to reporters last week.

"I’ve lost a lot of faith," Miller said after another closed-door Republican Conference meeting. "He was never morally convicted in his values to begin with, since the six years he’s been here as a member. So is that someone I’m going to follow to the gates of hell and trust to go conference with the Senate? Absolutely not."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'SOON'

Miller also unleashed on Johnson in an interview with Politico, calling him a "joke."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has also been a sharp critic of Johnson’s decisions as speaker. She called his continuing resolution (CR) aimed at averting a government shutdown "a failure."

Before that, she said in a November interview with the Daily Caller, "You know, in our conference, we had Matt Gaetz and seven other Republicans that declared red lines, where any speaker that passes a CR or funds Ukraine war funding should be ousted."

One of the sources who spoke with Fox News Digital said of Johnson’s struggles, "He’s facing the same challenges from the same people." 

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SPEAKER JOHNSON NOTCHES FIRST BIG LEGISLATIVE WIN

They confirmed Miller and Greene as two of Johnson’s top critics and suggested the speaker may be facing issues with the same Republicans who opposed ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.