Rep Andy Biggs says the Biden impeachment inquiry is focused on constructing an airtight case.
Building an Unassailable Case: Rep. Andy Biggs Launches Biden Impeachment Inquiry
With the decision to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is hoping to turn what he says is already a strong impeachment case into one that’s “unassailable.”
Mr. Biggs spoke with NTD News’ “Capitol Report” on Thursday, after he and other Republicans held a closed-door meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to discuss the timetable and structure of the impeachment inquiry.
Since winning control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans have been actively investigating allegations that President Biden played a role in his family’s business dealings throughout his political career, enabling those family members to trade on his name and leverage his influence on their behalf. Those investigations have found evidence of millions of dollars flowing to various Biden family members and their business associates throughout President Biden’s political career, as well as evidence he interacted with his son Hunter Biden’s various business partners.
While many Republicans have argued that these investigations support their influence-peddling allegations, Biden White House officials and Democrat lawmakers have contended that the evidence uncovered so far does not prove a deliberate arrangement by President Biden to enrich himself or his family members through his office.
Mr. Biggs said the three congressional committees leading up the impeachment inquiry—the House Oversight, Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees—will each work within a specific niche of the impeachment inquiry, and will continue pursuing records requests as they have been in the month’s preceding the launch of the impeachment inquiry. While the announcement of an official impeachment inquiry marks a new phase in Republican investigations, Mr. Biggs said he doesn’t want the three committees to rush their work and anticipates efforts will be somewhat slow starting out.
“I know they want to push this through really fast, but I want to make sure that we have an unassailable case,” he said. ”I think the case is pretty strong now. But I would be surprised if we get into anything within the next five weeks.”
While Mr. Biggs said the impeachment case is already “pretty strong,” Democrats have denounced the impeachment premise as “absurd” and argued that their Republican counterparts were acting out of political animus.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the inquiry a “a political revenge tour that lacks any factual or constitutional basis.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said the impeachment inquiry is based on “MAGA-laced conspiracy theories.”Inquiry Boosts Subpoena Power: Biggs
Some Republicans, like Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), have argued that an official impeachment inquiry gives Republican investigators stronger subpoena power than they did simply by holding the House majority. Mr. Biggs agreed with that assessment, saying he believes Republicans will indeed get ”quicker and more fulsome” replies to various records they have been pursuing.
Thus far, Mr. Biggs said members of the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies have slow-walked Republican records requests.Balancing Impeachment With Budget Battle
Mr. McCarthy’s decision to initiate the impeachment inquiry comes as Congress remains divided on the 2024 budget and could face a shutdown at the end of the month. The inquiry could add a new wrinkle to already contentious negotiations.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) expressly tied the budget debate to the issue of impeachment last month, stating she would not vote on a budget bill “unless we have passed an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden.”Some Democrats have outright accused Mr. McCarthy of initiating the impeachment inquiry to shore up support among his Republican colleagues. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said the impeachment inquiry ”is all about Speaker McCarthy bowing down to a handful of extremists who will cost him his job if he doesn’t get just as wild and out there as they already are.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) also said the inquiry “is Kevin McCarthy’s shiny new object to distract the public from the fact that the GOP can’t even pass bills to fund the government.”
The budget debate is indeed multi-faceted. Mr. McCarthy has to contend with a Democrat-controlled Senate that has its own say on the budget deal, and still maintain the support of a narrow Republican House majority.The staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus, of which Mr. Biggs is a member, has pressed for a budget deal that caps discretionary spending at $1.47 trillion for the year. The House Freedom Caucus has even indicated it would be willing to take no deal and accept a government shutdown rather than a deal that doesn’t include this discretionary spending cap.
This spring, the House Freedom Caucus pressed for similar spending reforms amid a showdown over the U.S. debt limit, but the eventual deal fell short of the spending limits sought by the conservative bloc. Congress may pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government and avoid a shutdown while the larger spending fight plays out, but the House Freedom Caucus has said it won’t support that move either unless the deal includes the Secure the Border Act of 2023, and addresses “the unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI,” and “the left’s cancerous woke policies in the Pentagon undermining our military’s core warfighting mission.”
Mr. Biggs told NTD News that these budget challenges could have been avoided if the House Speaker had done more to move the budget along on the House side.
“This should have been done at the end of June, so it could get over to the Senate. That was the idea, you get it done by the end of June, you get to the Senate, Senate has a month, month and a half to pass it out, make their adjustments, and then you go to conference committee, and then by the middle of September, you’re ready to vote on 12 appropriations bill, where everybody knows what’s in the bills,” Mr. Biggs told ‘Capitol Report’ on Thursday. “That’s not what they’re doing here.”
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), another Freedom Caucus member, said the impeachment inquiry is entirely unrelated to the budget debate and won’t in any way impact their demands on spending reform.
“Him starting the impeachment inquiry gives him no—zero—cushion, relief, grace, as it applies to [the] spending battle,” Mr. Good said.
From NTD News
How do Rep. Biggs and the Republican committees plan to gather additional evidence to strengthen their impeachment case against President Biden?
Expect any significant changes in the approach or strategy of the committees.
One of the main goals of Rep. Biggs and his Republican colleagues is to build an “unassailable” case against President Biden. They believe that the evidence they have uncovered so far, including millions of dollars flowing to Biden family members and their business associates, as well as interactions with Hunter Biden’s business partners, is strong and indicative of influence-peddling.
However, the Biden White House and Democratic lawmakers have argued that the evidence is not sufficient to prove any deliberate arrangement by President Biden to enrich himself or his family. They believe that these investigations are politically motivated and are part of a broader effort to undermine the Biden administration.
To strengthen their case, Rep. Biggs and other Republicans have established three congressional committees to lead the impeachment inquiry: the House Oversight, Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees. Each committee will focus on a specific aspect of the investigation and will continue to pursue relevant records and testimonies.
While the initiation of the impeachment inquiry signifies a new phase in the Republican investigations, Rep. Biggs does not anticipate any major changes in the approach or strategy of the committees. They will continue with their efforts to gather evidence and present a compelling case against President Biden.
This impeachment inquiry comes after Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections. It reflects their commitment to hold President Biden accountable for his alleged involvement in his family’s business dealings and the potential misuse of his political influence.
It remains to be seen how the impeachment inquiry will unfold and if it will ultimately lead to the impeachment of President Biden. The Democrats, who hold the majority in the House, are likely to resist these efforts and argue against the validity of the allegations.
As the investigation progresses, both Republicans and Democrats will present their arguments and evidence to the public. The outcome of this impeachment inquiry will have significant implications for the Biden administration and the political landscape in the United States.
In conclusion, Rep. Andy Biggs and his Republican colleagues are launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden in an effort to build an unassailable case against him. The investigations into his family’s business dealings and allegations of influence-peddling will be led by three congressional committees. While Democrats and the Biden White House have disputed the significance of the evidence so far, this impeachment inquiry marks a new phase in the Republican investigations. The outcome of this inquiry will have important implications for the Biden administration and the future of American politics.
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