McCarthy Details Impeachment Inquiry Process: ‘If We Move Forward,’ It ‘Would Occur Through a Vote’ on House Floor

1 Sep 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made clear to Breitbart News on Friday that if House Republicans move forward with an impeachment inquiry into Democrat President Joe Biden, the move would come not as an announcement from him or anyone else, but from a formal vote on the floor of the House.

“To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives,” McCarthy told Breitbart News. “That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person.”

Doing so would require a majority—at least 218 votes, assuming the House is at full attendance for such a vote—of members of the House to vote for such a move. While opening a formal impeachment inquiry is not a vote to impeach the president, it is a massive escalation by the lower chamber of Congress towards doing so—and it would also provide the House with extraordinary new investigative and law enforcement powers in terms of compelling testimony, enforcing subpoenas, and digging into Biden’s behavior and the culture of corruption surrounding the president.

McCarthy’s statement here is significant in multiple respects. First, the speaker has been taking steps towards building up to an impeachment inquiry in the fall—previewing such a move before and during the August recess in interviews and public remarks. Continued revelations through a variety of avenues—from the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee to federal courts, including, especially, the collapsed plea agreement between the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the Justice Department and more—have also increased the likelihood of the House moving in such a direction. This latest statement from the speaker makes clear that an impeachment inquiry is on his mind and that the House is seriously considering such a move.

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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/09/01/mccarthy-details-impeachment-inquiry-process-if-we-move-forward-would-occur-vote-house-floor/