GOP locks down votes for Biden impeachment inquiry
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Reps. Kelly Armstrong, Andy Biggs and Jim Jordan at a House Judiciary Committee press conference in May. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.
House Republicans are securing the support they need to pass a resolution on Wednesday formalizing their impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Why it matters: Republicans say an official vote authorizing the inquiry will give them stronger standing to enforce subpoenas in coming court battles.
Driving the news: Several Biden-district Republicans who previously voiced skepticism of impeachment told Axios on Monday they plan to vote for the inquiry.
- Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) said there is "enough substantiation to move forward" and "the executive branch made clear they're not going to cooperate with the inquiry unless we formalize it, so let's formalize it."
- "Congress has every responsibility to provide oversight, there are serious questions of impropriety, the White House and the president have yet to comply with requests for information and subpoenas," said Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), adding that he is "inclined" to support the measure.
- Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), who represents the most Democratic-leaning district of any Republican, said he will vote to authorize the inquiry.
State of play: The 14-page resolution is slated for a vote on Wednesday, according to a weekly schedule obtained by Axios.
- The measure directs the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees to "to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist" to impeach Biden.
- The three committees have been investigating the Biden family finances, and in particular the business dealings of the president's son, Hunter.
- Just one House Republican, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), has publicly signaled opposition to voting for the inquiry.
What they're saying: "A lot of people who were skeptical six months ago are going to vote for it," Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), who introduced the measure, told Axios. "We're moving in the right direction."
- Armstrong noted that Republicans hold a perilous three-seat majority in the House, however: "Until the vote's done, I'm not confident of anything."
The other side: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said his team is "in the process of educating" some Republican lawmakers who are not on the panel and can't "follow all the twists and turns of [Republicans'] outlandish narrative claims."
- Raskin said Biden-district Republicans in particular "obviously don't want to impeach Joe Biden" and "have a real problem on their hands."
- "So we are trying to, at least, get Republicans in the Biden districts to slow down and think about what they're about to do. Because this could be a political-career-terminating event for them," he said.
- Asked if he's persuaded any Republicans to back off of impeachment, Raskin conceded, "I could not take credit for that, no."
