House Republicans launch official impeachment inquiry against Biden
Correspondent Mark Meredith reports the latest from the White House.
The White House urged media outlets to "ramp up [their] scrutiny" of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry of President Biden in a forceful letter sent to news organizations on Wednesday.
"It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies," the letter, which has been obtained by Fox News Digital, said.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said House Republicans have "uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct" that will serve as the basis of an impeachment inquiry. Less than 24 hours later, the Biden administration urged newsrooms to scrutinize the inquiry.
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The White House urged media outlets to "ramp up its scrutiny" of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry of President Biden "based on lies." (Anna Moneymaker)
Ian Sams, a Special Assistant to the President and spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s office, penned the letter.
"After nearly 9 months of investigating, House Republicans haven’t been able to turn up any evidence of the President doing anything wrong. But House Republicans led by Marjorie Taylor Greene are nonetheless opening a baseless impeachment inquiry of President Biden — despite many House Republicans openly admitting there is no evidence on which to support it," Sams wrote.
"Impeachment is grave, rare, and historic. The Constitution requires ‘treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors,’" Sams continued. "But House Republicans are publicly stating they have uncovered none of these things."
The letter then cited a variety of GOP lawmakers who have been publicly hesitant to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Sams noted a report that "there are as many as 30 [House] Republicans who don’t believe there is enough evidence yet for impeachment."
President Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., after arriving on Marine One on Sept. 4, 2023. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sams then issued marching orders to American media outlets.
"It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies," he wrote. "When even House Republicans are admitting that there is simply no evidence that Joe Biden did anything wrong, much less impeachable, that should set off alarm bells for news organizations."
The letter continued: "For years, Republicans in Congress have tried to muddy the waters by attracting media coverage of their allegations, and as they choose to move forward with impeachment, it is the responsibility of the independent press to treat their claims with the appropriate scrutiny. Covering impeachment as a process story — Republicans say X, but the White House says Y — is a disservice to the American public who relies on the independent press to hold those in power accountable."
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"House Republican leaders should be held accountable for the fact that they are lurching toward impeachment over allegations that are not only unfounded but, in virtually all cases, have been actively disproven — including by witnesses and documents in their own investigations, as well as years-old congressional probes and even the former President’s first impeachment inquiry," Sams added, and included a 14-page appendix he said addressed seven "key lies" the impeachment effort was based upon.
The letter was sent to some of the country's largest media organizations, including Fox News, CNN, The New York Times and others.
McCarthy has listed allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction and corruption" made against Biden by several GOP-led committees who have been investigating the president.
"Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings. Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his sons and his son's business partners," McCarthy said.
"We know that bank records show that nearly $20 million in payments were directed to the Biden family members and associates through various shell companies. The Treasury Department alone has more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family," he continued. "Another business associates that were flagged as suspicious activity by U.S. banks. Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family. Biden used his official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden's business partners about Hunter's role in Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company."
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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