All three Republican members of Wyoming’s congressional delegation told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday they support House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s message to House Republicans to move ahead with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said it is clear House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, has gathered sufficient evidence of wrongdoing by the president to support an inquiry over his involvement in son Hunter Biden’s potentially criminal foreign business activities.
McCarthy said Comer, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith will lead the inquiry.
“I have confidence that Chairmen Comer, Jordan and Smith will conduct a thoughtful investigation to ensure transparency and accountability for the American people,” Lummis said.
The Investigation
Comer has been leading an aggressive investigation for months into claims that Biden was involved in his son’s foreign business affairs during his time as vice-president, but so far no direct evidence has surfaced.
A CNN/SSRS poll this week found that 61% of Americans believe that Biden played a role in his son’s business affairs, including 42% who think he acted illegally.
When asked by reporters Tuesday if he believes Biden has committed an impeachable offense, McCarthy said the inquiry allows members of Congress to get answers to questions that will tell him that.
McCarthy said House Republicans during the August recess uncovered "serious and credible allegations into President Biden's conduct. Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption."
The inquiry also will allow Comer and Smith to obtain bank records and other documents from Biden and his son they had been unable to previously access.
A Clearer Picture
Sen. John Barrasso said Comer has done an “excellent job” with his investigation into “the tangled web of corruption” involving Biden’s administration and family.
“Clearly there are facts that need further investigation,” Barrasso said. “The House is headed in the right direction.”
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman had previously said that she would support impeaching Biden if it’s done the right way. In a Tuesday statement, she commended McCarthy for moving to open the inquiry.
“The questions before us are serious, and they surround allegations that Joe Biden participated in an organized effort to enrich his family and potentially himself by selling access to him to foreign businessmen,” Hageman said.
Hageman said evidence found on Hunter Biden’s laptop shows that the president knew of his family’s influencing schemes, approved of them, and likely personally profited from them.
“With this inquiry, we can gather all the facts and have a clear picture of the Biden family corruption operation, with Joe Biden as the product they were selling,” she said.
Racing A Clock?
Some conservative hardliners had warned McCarthy that they would force a government shutdown unless an impeachment inquiry was opened. The House has a fast-approaching Sept. 30 deadline to pass a spending measure to keep the government open.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus have said they would not support such a measure unless it fulfills certain demands on border security and "weaponization of the DOJ," a topic Hageman has been particularly involved in. The group also is opposed to further aid to Ukraine.
Democrats have not shown any interest in supporting the impeachment inquiry.
Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, released a 14-page memo on Monday dismissing Comer’s report. Another report from the watchdog group Congressional Integrity Project found that Comer overhyped allegations of bribery and corruption against Biden without producing any hard evidence.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
