White House blasts "illegitimate" Biden impeachment inquiry as GOP weighs vote

• "Claims of 'obstruction' and 'stonewalling' are easily refuted by the facts," White House spokesperson Ian Sams wrote in a memo released Friday.

By the numbers: House Republicans have had access to thousands of pages of records and hours of witness testimony, the memo said, including:

• More than 35,000 pages of private financial records;
• More than 2,000 pages of financial reports from the Treasury Department;
• At least 36 hours of witness interviews and testimony;
• Documents, "including highly sensitive materials," and witnesses from the FBI, Justice Department and National Archives.

What they're saying: "Not finding what they hoped to uncover is not evidence of 'obstruction,'" the memo said.

• "Despite receiving this significant volume of material, House Republicans have just failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden – but plenty of evidence debunking their claims."

Context: House Republicans may hold an official vote in the coming weeks to formally authorize their impeachment inquiry after then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy opened it in September without a vote.

• "The administration is not complying, and a vote would help to ensure they would do and give us better standing in the courts," Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said earlier this week.
• The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed Hunter Biden, the president's son, and James Biden, his brother, as part of the probe.
• Hunter Biden responded to a request seeking closed-door testimony by offering to testify publicly.

Go deeper: House GOP eyes formal vote on Biden impeachment inquiry