Rep. Matt Gaetz delivered a message to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the House floor following McCarthy’s announcement that he is calling on his committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Remember when renegade GOP members held out on voting for him back in January? We wrote about it here and here. For the first time, GOP House members demanded action for the Speaker and he was only elected on the proviso he agreed to a number of demands.
On this very floor in January, the whole world witnessed a historic contest for House Speaker.
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) September 12, 2023
I rise today to serve notice. Mr. Speaker, you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role. The path forward for the House of Representatives is to… pic.twitter.com/1IFsrmT8KK
Today, Gaetz reminded McCarthy of the deal.
And hours later Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is directing the House to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the 2024 election.
McCarthy said that House investigations so far “paint a picture of a culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, from before the Democratic president took office.
“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker’s office at the Capitol.
An inquiry is step toward impeachment, and McCarthy essentially outlined the potential charges as he prepared to brief lawmakers behind closed doors this week. The inquiry will be led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, in coordination with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith. They are heading across the Capitol Wednesday to brief the Senate.