House GOP averts direct vote on Biden impeachment
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The Republican-controlled House on Thursday voted to refer a resolution impeaching President Biden to a pair of committees.
Why it matters: It marks a successful GOP maneuver to sidestep an up-or-down impeachment vote that many in the conference were loath to take.
Driving the news: The House voted 219-208 along party lines to refer the measure to the Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees.
- The resolution, which targets Biden's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, was introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.
What they’re saying: Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Texas) said the effect of the vote will be to expand the scope of his committee’s investigation into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
- “The House, it looks like, is going to ask us to take a look at Mr. Biden’s actions” on the border, he said. “We will do so. We will dig deeply into it.”
- Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), on the other hand, said he is waiting on the Oversight Committee to complete its investigation: “I assume at some point there will be a report … and we’ll move accordingly.”
- He added that the “primary jurisdiction for this resolution” is the Homeland Security Committee.
The backdrop: Boebert's decision to force an impeachment vote touched off considerable internal backlash.
- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), at a closed-door conference meeting on Wednesday morning, discouraged rank-and-file members from forcing impeachment votes before investigations have a chance to run their course.
