Republican Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert on Tuesday pushed an impeachment vote on President Joe Biden, prompting several House Republicans to balk at the measure.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy urged members of his party behind closed doors to oppose the impeachment resolution, The Hill reported Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” he later said to reporters. McCarthy said he’d invited Boebert discuss the resolution Tuesday, prior to her forcing a vote.
Boebert went on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s show Wednesday to argue in favor of the impeachment, while also recognizing the articles will most likely not pass committee due to a lack of GOP votes. Several House Republicans have since come out against Boebert’s measure, including Reps. French Hill of Arkansas, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, John Duarte of California and Garret Graves of Louisiana, Axios reported.
“This motion is not going to pass,” Duarte told the outlet. “It’s probably going to have quite a bit of opposition from both parties.”
“Impeachment shouldn’t be something that is frivolous,” Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said, according to The Hill. “We should get to the facts of that, but just doing a privileged motion is wrong.”
Boebert introduced the resolution to impeach Biden earlier in June. The representative brought two articles against the President: one relating to abuse of power in federal immigration policy, and the other for allegedly neglecting the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
GOP lawmakers are reportedly concerned that forcing a vote will pull attention from the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden. Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed the existence of phone recordings allegedly relating to foreign business dealings involving Biden and his son, Hunter. Biden has denied the allegations of wrongdoing.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: U.S. Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert (R-CO) delivers remarks in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was charged Tuesday with two counts of tax evasion and a felony relating to firearms. He pleaded guilty and it is unlikely he will face any jail time. Conservatives have called into question the balance of the justice system in light of former President Donald Trump’s indictment for his alleged mishandling of over 300 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. (RELATED: Legal Experts Call Hunter Biden Plea Deal A ‘Joke,’ ‘Sweetheart Deal’)
McCarthy reportedly pointed to Trump’s previous two impeachment votes in an effort to convince other Republicans to oppose Boebert’s resolution. He told GOP lawmakers he chose not to vote for the former president’s impeachment because the Democrats were catering to emotion rather than the facts, according to The Hill.
A motion by Democrats to table the motion is expected in the next week, Axios reported. The impeachment vote is likely to face bipartisan disapproval.