The White House on Monday called Speaker Mike Johnson a flip-flopper for his plan to hold a vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams pointed to remarks Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, made last month in a closed-door meeting with House GOP moderates. Mr. Johnson reportedly told the lawmakers that there was insufficient evidence to initiate formal impeachment proceedings, according to The Washington Post, citing people who attended the meeting.
Mr. Sams accused Mr. Johnson of hyping the impeachment talk to distract from the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos, New York Republican, following a damning ethics report.
“He admitted there is no evidence to justify it three weeks ago, but he’s doing it anyway – further proof that this whole exercise is an extreme political stunt, rather than a legitimate pursuit of the truth,” Mr. Sams said of the speaker.
“This baseless smear campaign is solely intended to satisfy their most extreme members and proves once again that these House Republicans are wasting time on the wrong priorities, instead of working with the President on real issues American families care about, like lowering costs, creating jobs, strengthening health care, and protecting our national security,” Mr. Sams said.
The ongoing House impeachment probe has produced evidence of influence peddling in the foreign business deals struck by Hunter Biden and other Biden family members, including payments totaling $240,000 to the elder Mr. Biden that coincided with paydays from deals.
Biden family members described the payments as repayments of loans from Mr. Biden.
On Saturday, Mr. Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News, that a formal impeachment inquiry vote was “a necessary step” because the White House has stonewalled House probes into the Biden family’s hugely profitable business deals in foreign countries such as China and Ukraine.
“I think it’s something we have to do at this juncture,” he said.
Mr. Johnson’s remarks come after multiple Republicans said last week that a vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry of Mr. Biden could come before the House breaks for the December recess.
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