House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated late last week that an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is on the near horizon.
In a Saturday interview with Fox News, the Louisiana Republican said he believes he now has enough votes to launch an inquiry.
“I believe we will,” Johnson said when asked if the GOP will have the votes. “I suspect no Democrats will assist in this effort, but they should.”
He added during the interview that the inquiry is a “necessary step,” noting further: “I think it’s something we have to do at this juncture.”
“Elise [Stefanik] and I both served on the impeachment defense team of Donald Trump twice when the Democrats used it for brazen, partisan political purposes,” Johnson said on Fox & Friends Weekend. “We decried that use of it. This is very different. Remember, we are the rule of law team. We have to do it very methodically.”
Just the News noted further: The Biden administration has been facing investigations from House Republicans over his family’s overseas business dealings and alleged weaponization of the federal government. Johnson said that those leading the investigations are being stonewalled by the White House.
“Our three committees of jurisdiction — Judiciary, Oversight, Ways and Means — have been doing an extraordinary job following the evidence where it leads,” he said. “But now we’re being stonewalled by the White House, because they’re preventing at least two to three DOJ witnesses from coming forward, a former White House counsel, the national archives…the White House has withheld thousands of pages of evidence.”
Johnson indicated last month that an inquiry was likely.
“At this stage, our impeachment inquiry has already shown the corrupt conduct of the president’s family and that he and White House officials have repeatedly lied about his knowledge and involvement in his family’s business activities,” Johnson said, per a statement.
“It has also exposed the tens of millions of dollars from foreign adversaries being paid to shell companies controlled by the president’s son, brother, and their business associates,” he noted further, per the outlet. “Now, the appropriate step is to place key witnesses under oath and question them under the penalty of perjury, to fill gaps in the record.”
The Speaker concluded: “I commend the good work of Chairmen Comer, Jordan, and Smith. As we move forward toward an inflection point in this critical investigation, they have my full and unwavering support.”
