Raskin rips GOP Biden probe as ‘embarrassing’ after release of more explosive bank records

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee dismissed Chairman James Comer’s Wednesday morning release of bank records that appear to show Hunter Biden was paid upward of $20 million by Eastern European oligarchs.

The 19-page memo, which provides screenshots of redacted financial records, says millions of dollars in payments came from Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina and Kazakhstani oligarch Kenes Rakishev.

The records also suggest Joe Biden attended dinners with Baturina, Rakishev and a representative from Burisma while he was vice president.

But Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., suggested Comer, R-Ky., failed to prove any wrongdoing on President Biden’s part. Raskin pointed to the fact that the bank records do not directly name Joe Biden.

‘MONEY GUY’: THIS HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS PARTNER COULD BLOW THE LID OFF BIDEN FAMILY'S BUSINESS DEALINGS

"Committee Republicans have once again released information on financial transactions that do not involve the president. Instead, they rehash the same Hunter Biden business dealings that congressional Republicans identified at least three years ago," Raskin said.

"The evidence released since then — including the testimony of witnesses called and interviewed by the Republicans and the records reviewed as part of Chairman Comer’s probe — have all clearly established that President Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings."

HUNTER BIDEN'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER VISITED OBAMA WH, VP RESIDENCE MORE THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN

Raskin accused Republicans of deliberately distorting and obfuscating facts and dismissed their entire probe of the Biden family as "embarrassing."

"Republicans have repeatedly twisted and mischaracterized the evidence in a transparent and increasingly embarrassing attempt to justify their baseless calls for an impeachment inquiry and distract from former President Trump’s dozens of outstanding felony criminal charges in three different cases," Raskin said.

OBAMA-ERA EMAILS REVEAL HUNTER'S EXTENSIVE TIES TO NEARLY A DOZEN SENIOR-LEVEL BIDEN ADMIN AIDES

According to the bank records, Hunter Biden and his former associate Devon Archer each received $83,333 per month from Burisma, totaling $3,321,379 from 2014 to 2015.

Archer spoke with House Oversight Committee staff last week in a marathon closed-door interview, during which he said the president’s son was selling the Biden "brand" and that President Biden "brought the most value to the brand."

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Archer said he heard President Biden on the phone with Hunter Biden while the latter was with their business associates on 20 occasions over the span of a decade but did not say they directly discussed business matters.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report

August is often the strangest month in politics, and this year is no different

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Beware the ides of August.

I have written that line since the late "aughts" here on Capitol Hill.

Shakespeare penned the line, "Beware the ides of March," in his play "Julius Caesar."

A soothsayer had warned the Roman leader to not let up his guard around the middle of the month. And as it turns out, that’s when Caesar was assassinated on the "ides of March" — March 15.

DON'T PAY CONGRESS IF GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN, SAYS GOP LAWMAKER

What an omen.

Foreboding. Cursed. Ominous.

In fact, the entire month of March can sometimes appear that way meteorologically.

We use a different metric in politics and specifically on Capitol Hill. August shouldn’t be such a terrifying month. After all, it’s summer. But without a doubt, some of the most utterly strange and consequential political events form in August.

This is ironic in Washington. That’s because the House and Senate are usually out of session for most of August.

HOW LONG IS TOO LONG? CONGRESSIONAL HEALTH SCARES RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT FITNESS TO SERVE

But periodically, the vacuum of Congress being away from Washington actually generates its own news. That’s because some major issue may erupt, pressing Congress into meeting in August when it's not supposed to do so. Occasionally an event is so significant that lawmakers are summoned back to Washington to tackle a catastrophic issue.

Congress is long gone from Washington this August. Both the House and Senate abandoned the nation’s capital in late July. The House even cut town a day early after Republicans couldn’t reach consensus on approving an agriculture appropriations bill. So it would take a lot to siphon lawmakers back to town this August.

But real world events have a way of doing that.

Congress remained in session into early August in 2011 to wrestle with the debt ceiling. That coincided with the day that former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., miraculously returned to Congress just months after being shot in the head. And a few days later, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit worthiness of the federal government due to the debt ceiling drama.

Lawmakers returned in late August 2013 for intelligence briefings on Syria. Former President Obama was trying to engineer support for potential military action in and around Syria. But the votes on Capitol Hill never materialized.

The Democratically-controlled House famously failed to approve a crime bill in August 1994, when crime spiked around the nation. Democrats viewed adoption of the crime bill as key to their electoral success heading into the midterm elections. A few weeks later, Democrats successfully marshaled the votes, and recalled the House in late August to approve the crime bill.

As it turned out, Republicans tethered the bill to the Democrats and won the House that fall for the first time in 40 years.

CONGRESS SHOULD USE ‘POWER OF THE PURSE’ TO FORCE CHANGES AT DOJ, DHS: REP. CHIP ROY

All because of what unfolded in August.

Something similar unfolded in August 2009. And, to a lesser degree, in August of 2010.

Congress was out for the month in 2009. But congressional Democrats were trying to pass Obamacare. Republicans met this effort with vitriolic town halls. The tea party was on the rise, opponents of the then-president and Republican loyalists showed up at town meetings to heckle and taunt Democrats. These raucous August sessions helped energize Republicans — especially after Congress approved the health care bill in March of 2010. Moreover, they captured a lot of news oxygen and dominated the headlines that August. That set the table for Republicans to win back the House in the 2010 midterms, capturing a staggering 63 seats.

All because of August.

In fact, Republicans began to hone this "August strategy" in the summer of 2008.

The House voted to leave for more than a month. Being a presidential election year, both Democrats and Republicans were holding their presidential conventions in August and early September.

But that didn’t stop Republicans from commandeering the House chamber on a daily basis to hold rump sessions and rail against the Democratic majority. House GOPers rotated a set of members on a daily basis — even dragging some members of the Capitol press corps into the chamber to observe the action. The GOPers would also bring in tourists. Republicans made sure they focused on their target: then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Republicans even claimed that Pelosi adjourned the House by herself and locked them out of the chamber. Never mind that roll call vote I mentioned earlier to adjourn for the conventions. And the speaker certainly didn’t lock anyone out. After all, the Republicans wouldn’t have made it into the chamber each day if the doors were locked.

But the rhubarb made a good show for Republicans in August 2008.

Sometimes non-political forces force Washington, D.C., into action in August. Congress returned to session in August 2006 after Hurricane Katrina pulverized the Gulf Coast.

Still, these episodes surrounding Congress in August pale to other major political news stories that emerged in August.

TRUMP INDICTMENT WOULD ‘BULLDOZE’ THE FIRST AMENDMENT IF IT SUCCEEDS: TURLEY

The late President Truman dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington in August 1963.

President Nixon resigned in August 1974 as President Ford took over.

It was still August 31, 1983, in Washington (barely) when the Soviets shot down a Korean Air Lines flight, killing all 269 people on board. Among the dead: late Rep. Larry McDonald, R-Ga.

Late Rep. Mickey Leland. R-Texas and congressional aides died in a plane crash in August 1989.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, teeing up the first Gulf War in 1991.

Princess Diana died in Paris in August 1997.

Russia invaded Georgia in August 2008 — a partial prelude to today’s war in Ukraine.

Late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, died in a plane crash in August 2010.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia rocked Washington, D.C., damaging the Capitol complex in August 2011.

The white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.

And so far, this August has been far from inconsequential.

Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted former President Trump on charges of trying to overturn the election and linking him to the Capitol riot on Aug. 1. Trump appeared in federal court in the shadow of the Capitol on Aug. 3.

Sandwiched between that was a wild scene on the Senate side of the Capitol on Aug. 2. U.S. Capitol Police searched the Senate office buildings, in pursuit of a potential active shooter. The episode frightened hundreds of congressional aides, workers, reporters and tourists, all in the Senate office buildings.

This all unfolds as there is chatter about another indictment looming for the former president in Georgia. And congressional Republicans are sure talking about trying to impeach President Biden when lawmakers return in September. There will be lot of talk about impeachment this August, even if it doesn’t result in impeachment for the president.

Discussion about impeachment for then-President Trump really accelerated in August 2019 — resulting in his first impeachment later that year. It wouldn’t have happened but for the events of that August.

And, much like S&P in 2011, credit rater Fitch downgraded the federal government’s credit ratings this August due to the debt ceiling drama of the spring. That sparked a market selloff.

So August is seminal in politics.

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We’re now approaching the middle of August. If history is our guide, beware the ides of August.

Even if the ides of March get most of the attention.

Trump allies cry election interference after former president arrested over 2020 race

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Former President Donald Trump’s allies are painting his Thursday arraignment as an attempt by President Biden to crush his political rival ahead of the 2024 election and distract from bribery allegations against his own family.

Trump pleaded "not guilty" to four federal counts stemming from alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden. It’s his second federal indictment and third criminal indictment in the span of less than five months.

His Republican allies in Congress have continued to stick by him, however. GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 leader in the House, echoed Trump’s repeated insistence that investigations into his conduct are "witch hunts."

"The unconstitutional and unprecedented arrest of President Donald J. Trump is truly a chilling chapter in Joe Biden’s weaponization of the Department of Justice against his leading political opponent who is beating Biden in many independent polls. President Trump had every right under the First Amendment to correctly raise concerns about election integrity in 2020," Stefanik, R-N.Y., said.

TRUMP INDICTED ON CHARGES OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO JAN 6

"The American people are smart, and they know this is a politically charged witch hunt orchestrated by Joe Biden’s corrupt DOJ in a desperate attempt to distract the American people from the mounting evidence of Joe Biden’s direct involvement in his family’s illegal influence peddling scheme," she added,

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., cited a 2014 statement from Biden expressing concern about Malaysia’s encroachment on its own rule of law.

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SAYS JAN 6 ‘FUELED BY LIES’ FROM TRUMP, PRAISES ‘HEROES’ WHO DEFENDED CAPITOL

"Today, Joe Biden's DOJ did what Joe Biden used to condemn other countries for doing: arrest his political opposition to silence and intimidate them," Miller said.

Another House Republican, Rep. Diane Harshbarger, R-Tenn., went a step further than condemnation and called for both a congressional investigation and Biden’s immediate impeachment.

"Today’s politically-motivated arraignment of President Trump marks a dark day for our nation. Joe Biden’s persecution of President Trump is a blatant power grab and an attempt to silence the voices of millions of Americans," Harshbarger said. "I call on Congress to launch a full investigation into the politicization of our government agencies, and for an immediate impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden, who is directly responsible for this despicable witch hunt."

TRUMP'S 2024 GOP RIVALS WEIGH IN ON FORMER PRESIDENT'S JAN. 6 PROBE INDICTMENT

Both Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., also accused Biden of trying to tip the scales, despite the White House’s repeated insistence that the DOJ is independent.

"Trump is being targeted because the left knows he’s Biden’s greatest political threat," Blackburn said.

Greene said, "Biden’s DOJ is actively participating in election interference by trying to put his top political opponent, President Donald Trump, behind bars. It’s pure corruption."

Trump himself made similar comments after his arraignment and just before boarding his plane. "This is a very sad day for America," the former president said. "When you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent."

User’s Manual to Devon Archer’s closed door interview tomorrow

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Former Burisma Board member Devon Archer appears tomorrow morning before the House Oversight Committee for a closed-door, transcribed interview.

Fox is told that Archer is expected to appear this time - even though he ducked the committee three times before and is under subpoena.

Moreover, one senior Republican close to the investigation believes the DOJ tried "an intimidation tactic" Saturday, asking a judge to set a date for Archer to report to begin serving jail time.

Archer was found guilty of defrauding Native American tribes in 2022.

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

Fox is told investigators intend to ask Archer about previously undisclosed bank records and the purpose of those transactions. In particular, the committee wants to know what role if any the President had in those transactions.

'IMPEACHMENT WEEK'

There are also questions as to whether legal counsel for the Bidens contacted Archer.

The committee believes Archer will tell investigators about meetings or phone calls he had with President Biden regarding potential business deals.

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

Archer is slated to appear at 10 am ET. The discussion is scheduled to go for four hours, total. Two hours per side.

The Republicans will go for an hour. The Democrats for an hour. And so on.

With breaks, this likely does not conclude until 3 pm ET or so.

Fox is told to expect maybe a couple of lawmakers there. Fox is told that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio will likely attend.

Fox is also told that the committee intends to release the transcript of the transcribed interview "in three or four days."

House Republican warns GOP to be ‘better than Nancy Pelosi’ in possible Biden impeachment: ‘Follow the facts’

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., admitted that Republicans are currently split over the possibility of impeaching President Biden over allegations related to possible involvement with his son Hunter Biden's business dealings, warning that if it does happen, her party has to make sure they have a strong case.

In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," the South Carolina Republican noted that the GOP can use an impeachment inquiry as "another tool in the toolbox" without taking the step of impeachment itself, while warning that controversial moves like impeachment can come with a price.

"I will tell you, every time we walk the plank we put moderate members – members that won Biden-won districts – we are putting those seats at risk for 2024. We are putting the majority at risk," she said, noting that this applies to other polarizing issues as well, like abortion.

Mace also accused Democrats of politicizing the impeachment process with their impeachments of former President Donald Trump, noting that Republicans need to base their actions on their findings, not on any political agenda.

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"Whatever the evidence shows us, we ought to follow the facts, and we have to be better than Nancy Pelosi," Mace said. "Pelosi really politicized the impeachment process. We do not want to do that here."

Mace approached the subject of impeaching a president seriously, stating that if the House were to take that step, she and her colleagues would need to have a strong case.

"We have to show overwhelming, undeniable evidence in order to move this thing forward, and if we can’t then we should not. But if we do, then we ought to use every tool in the toolbox to make sure the American people see it for what it is, and we can hold everyone accountable."

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said on "Hannity" last week that the situation was "rising to the level of impeachment inquiry," but Mace is not the only Republican to note that impeachment should be based on standards, not politics.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said Wednesday it is irresponsible for Republicans to be "raising the I-word" because it "sends a message to the public and sets expectations. Buck did acknowledge that House committees' probes are fair and that such an investigation is indeed the chamber's responsibility.

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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., also added that no official should be impeached unless the threshold of "high crimes and misdemeanors" has been definitively reached.

"I'm not going to support impeaching somebody just because I don't like their politics," he said.

Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

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

Posted on July 27, 2023 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.

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"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.

Republicans fume at Mayorkas over border policies at fiery House hearing: ‘Our constituents want answers’

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was on the receiving end of another barrage from House Republicans on Wednesday as he faced the House Judiciary Committee and was quizzed about the administration’s efforts to tackle the border crisis.

"I’ve been in Congress seven years. I think you're the most dishonest witness that has ever appeared before the Judiciary Committee, and I think I speak for a lot of my colleagues," Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., said. "This is such a frustrating exercise for us because our constituents want answers."

The fireworks came as part of a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the department, which has been at the center of the handling of the ongoing crisis at the southern border in its third year.

Mayorkas has become a lightning rod for the crisis, with Republicans blaming him for running "open border" policies they say sparked and then fueled the border crisis, which saw over 1.7 million migrant encounters in fiscal 2021 and over 2.4 million in fiscal 2022.

MAYORKAS BAFFLED BY DEM REP'S BIZARRE HISTORIC TRIVIA IN BORDER HEARING

Republicans say that the rollback of Trump-era policies, including border wall construction, the Remain-in-Mexico policy and others, along with a reduction of interior enforcement and expansion of catch-and-release, has led to the historic surge. House Republicans have accused Mayorkas of dereliction of duty, with some backing a potential impeachment.

Mayorkas and the agency have pushed back consistently against those claims, arguing his agency is working in a broken system in need of reform by Congress while dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis. The agency has pointed to a sharp drop in encounters after the end of the Title 42 public health order.

JUDICIARY CHAIR JORDAN TELLS MAYORKAS TO ‘BE PREPARED’ AHEAD OF KEY HEARING ON BORDER CRISIS

While encounters are still high, with over 144,000 in June, they were the lowest numbers since February 2021. It has led to claims by DHS that its post-Title 42 strategy is working. The strategy includes a historic expansion of the use of humanitarian parole to allow migrants in legally at ports of entry while limiting the ability of migrants who enter illegally to claim asylum.

"Our approach to managing the borders securely and humanely even within our fundamentally broken immigration system is working," Mayorkas said. "Unlawful entries between ports of entry along the southwest border have consistently decreased by more than half compared to the peak before the end of Title 42.

"Under President Biden's leadership, we have led the largest expansion of lawful, safe and orderly pathways for people to seek humanitarian relief under our laws. At the same time, imposing tougher consequences on those who instead resort to the ruthless smuggling organizations that prey on the most vulnerable."

But Republicans are unconvinced and have accused the administration of abusing parole, which is defined by Congress as an authority to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian purposes or for significant public benefit.

They have said the use of parole — which includes up to 1,450 a day at the border via the controversial CBP One app and a policy to fly in up to 30,000 a month from four countries — is illegal.

Supporters of the use of parole by the administration have noted that multiple administrations have used it to grant relief on multiple occasions, including migrants fleeing Cuba and Vietnam and, most recently, "parole in place" to prevent deportation of illegal immigrant family members of military veterans. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., noted it had been used as far back as the Eisenhower administration.

"We have used our parole authority consistent with the law and consistent with past practices of different administrations," Mayorkas said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., accused Mayorkas of orchestrating an "amnesty dance" with the CBP One app, which allows migrants to come to the border and schedule appointments to be paroled into the U.S.

"You've taken this app, and you've digitized illegal immigration. And you've scaled it to the moon," Gaetz said. "This app that you've got everybody downloading is like the Disney Fast Pass into the country, never to be subject to actual removal, just removal proceedings as you call them."

"I disagree with everything you said," Mayorkas responded.

HOUSE HOMELAND GOP REPORT ACCUSES MAYORKAS OF ‘INTENTIONAL’ DERELICTION OF DUTY OVER BORDER CRISIS

Gaetz and Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, repeatedly grilled Mayorkas in an effort to get key data, including the number of migrants who have been released into the U.S. during the Biden administration and have now been removed.

"Let me ask real quick: Can you get that number to us, like, tomorrow, or is it — you've got to go back and is it going to take weeks and months and haggling back and forth and all the letters we do? Congress writes letters to agencies, and we haggle back and forth, all that dance we have to do. Or can you just get us the number?" Jordan said.

"Mr. Chairman, we'll provide that data to you as promptly as possible," Mayorkas responded.

Democrats generally praised Mayorkas for the work he is doing and attempted to push back against Republican talking points.

Ranking member Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of pushing a "dangerous" narrative of an invasion at the border.

"The invasion narrative some members push in this hearing room is bigoted, fact-free and dangerous," Nadler said, tying the rhetoric to the 2019 El Paso, Texas, shooting.

"We can draw a straight line from the hateful rhetoric we hear from some congressional Republicans to that horrific tragedy."

He also slammed Republicans for "outlandish claims" made at the hearings, particularly claims the border is open.

"The border is not open, and to say so is not only false but is really an insult to the brave men and women at Border Patrol who work every day to keep us safe," he said.

But a number of Republicans doubled down on accusing Mayorkas of pushing "open border policies" and expressed anger at what they saw as Mayorkas not answering any of their questions.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., at one point exploded at Mayorkas for his alleged lack of responsiveness.

"You’re not answering questions," Spartz said. "You’ve not answered any Republican questions. Is it something that your intent is not to respond to any questions from Republicans? You came with that intent?"

"That is incorrect, Congresswoman," he responded.

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

Posted on July 26, 2023 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."

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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 July 26, 2023 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.

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."

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

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

Posted on July 25, 2023 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.

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."

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.

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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.