Report: Mike Johnson Essentially Acknowledges Falseness of Biden Impeachment Push as a Political Maneuver

Written by Caleb Ecarma

Republicans in Washington appear to be using the declining favorability of Joe Biden and the increasing likelihood of Donald Trump's return to power as political justification for their impeachment inquiry against the incumbent president.

Mike Johnson, the newly-appointed Speaker of the House, revealed this strategy at a private meeting on Capitol Hill this week. According to a report by The Washington Post this Friday, he indicated that impeaching Biden has lost some of its urgency due to the latter's dwindling popularity.

“Whether it's pragmatic or sensible is important. We have to be able to make those connections,” said Oregon Republican Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer after the meeting between Johnson and a group of moderate members. “So I don’t believe it's reasonable to proceed unless we can establish those connections, and I feel that was the message he aimed to communicate to us, which we appreciate.”

Don Bacon from Nebraska, a moderate Republican, maintained that Johnson's stance on impeachment is not politically motivated and said, “We’ll follow the evidence trail, but we’re not there yet,” echoing the Speaker. However, Bacon didn’t shy away from mentioning Biden's lack of popularity with the voters. According to him, the President's policies are not appealing to the voters but they haven’t seen any high crimes and misdemeanors yet — something echoed by Johnson.

Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker who started the impeachment inquiry against Biden last September, was replaced last month by Johnson, a Louisiana legislator known to be a conservative champion. Johnson, despite his uncertain private sentiments, has publicly maintained this conservative image, particularly regarding impeachment.

“If all the evidence points where we think it does, impeachment is very likely,” Johnson told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week. He was referring to the yet-unproven theory that Biden misused his vice-presidential powers for his and his family members' financial gain. Later in the interview, Johnson explained, likely for Hannity's audience's sake, that he understands that people are eager for an impeachment, but he will proceed only as far as "the evidence" allows.

The responsibility of gathering this evidence largely falls on James Comer, the House Oversight Chairman whose enthusiasm for impeachment hasn't diminished during the weeks of congressional turmoil. On Wednesday, he issued subpoenas for Hunter Biden, the president's son, and James Biden, his brother. Comer also requested a voluntary interview with Hallie Biden, Beau Biden's widow, and Melissa Cohen, Hunter's wife. He believes the records reveal the Bidens' use of Joe Biden's name globally for their family's benefit to the detriment of U.S. interests.

The Biden administration in return has criticized Republicans for focusing on the impeachment inquiry instead of addressing another potential funding issue. White House spokesperson Ian Sams called out James Comer, accusing the extreme voices in the Republican party of using the inquiry as a diversion from their repeated governance failure.