House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday that he is directing his committees to launch a formal impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden, despite the fact that they have yet to substantiate charges that he benefitted personally from his son's international business ventures.
The decision comes as his right flank puts increasing pressure on him to move forward with the investigation, including some on his far-right who have threatened to depose McCarthy as speaker if he does not move quickly enough on such an investigation. McCarthy is also attempting to gather support as part of negotiations to keep the government funded over the September 30 deadline in order to avoid a government shutdown.
The House-led GOP investigations have yet to provide any tangible evidence that the president benefited financially from Hunter Biden's abroad career.
Ian Sams, the White House's spokesman for oversight and investigations, described it as "extreme politics at its worst."
The impeachment issue dividing Republicans in Congress
An impeachment investigation is also likely to divide Republican members on Capitol Hill, since numerous Republicans, including frequent critics of Biden and his administration, have publicly stated that such an investigation is a bad idea. According to CNN, Republicans in the Senate are concerned that the attempt may backfire politically and give Biden a lift, distracting from their efforts to portray the president as out of touch with the economy.
Some members of McCarthy's conference have also spoken out against the impeachment drive, questioning whether the speaker has a majority to support an investigation in such a closely divided house - a vote McCarthy does not appear willing to have at this juncture.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is dealing with an increasingly impatient right wing of House Republicans. His revelation came only hours before conservative Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has been pushing for a formal impeachment investigation, introduced a motion to oust McCarthy as speaker if he does not agree with his list of demands.
No House Vote yet
According to a GOP source, McCarthy's announcement that he's "directing committees" to launch a formal investigation indicates there will be no floor vote to formally authorize the effort, reversing the House speaker's previous comments. McCarthy had been considering missing an impeachment investigation vote - and was chastised by Democrats for being hypocritical, as he had previously chastised Democrats for considering the same - McCarthy then sent a statement to Breitbart committing to hold a floor vote if they went that path.
McCarthy's announcement on Tuesday, though, will indicate a genuine effort by McCarthy to begin moving forward and win over House Republican skeptics. McCarthy, according to a source close to the situation, will not put anything on the table until they know the numbers. At some point, House Republican leadership will need to formally whip votes, which they have not yet done. McCarthy informed his leadership team and committee chairs of the impending statement, according to various sources.
The likely next step also comes as McCarthy prepares to argue to Republican House members that the government must be financed in order to follow all of these investigative lines. To avoid a government shutdown, the government must meet a funding deadline by the end of this month.
During his statements on Tuesday, McCarthy made no mention of holding a vote to initiate the investigation. McCarthy issued a statement earlier this month urging for a vote to support impeachment. McCarthy's remarks were highlighted by the White House in their response to the speaker's statement.