GOP seeks guidance from Pelosi playbook ahead of possible Biden impeachment inquiry: Report
House Republicans May Use Pelosi’s Tactic to Push for Biden Impeachment
House Republicans are considering a strategy used by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to initiate an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden even without majority support in the chamber, according to a new report.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been in discussions with other members of the Republican caucus to devise a plan for an impeachment inquiry into Biden. However, McCarthy currently lacks the necessary votes in the House to bring the inquiry up for a vote in the chamber, as reported by CNN.
McCarthy is working against a tight timeline, aiming to commence the impeachment inquiry by the end of September. To spare his moderate members from a potentially controversial vote, McCarthy and other top Republicans are considering following Pelosi’s precedent: initiating the inquiry first and then bringing it up for a vote later, according to sources cited by CNN.
It is important to note that there is no constitutional requirement for an official impeachment inquiry to begin with a vote in the chamber. However, Pelosi deviated from historical precedent by unilaterally announcing an official impeachment inquiry into former President Donald Trump.
Pelosi’s Unilateral Announcement
“Today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry,” Pelosi declared prior to Trump’s first impeachment. She stated that various ongoing House investigations into Trump would be consolidated under the “umbrella” of an official impeachment inquiry.
Pelosi’s announcement allowed some Democratic caucus members to avoid a vote that might have faced backlash from their constituents. However, Republicans vehemently criticized Pelosi’s move, arguing that the inquiry should have been approved by a majority of the House.
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Former Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) expressed his skepticism at the time, stating in a social media post that “claiming the House is conducting an impeachment inquiry doesn’t make it so. Until the full House votes to authorize an inquiry, nobody is conducting a formal inquiry.”
The impeachment inquiry proceeded for over a month before it was eventually brought up for a vote and passed in the House.
Now, McCarthy is contemplating a similar approach to protect moderate members of his caucus, who were elected in areas leaning towards Biden, from having to take a controversial vote that could harm their standing with voters. Given Pelosi’s maneuvering in the Trump impeachment, Republicans seem willing to accept an official inquiry launched under comparable circumstances.
“I don’t believe that a vote of the House is required to open an impeachment inquiry,” stated Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, in an interview with CNN.
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