Speaker Johnson says he believes he has the votes for a Biden impeachment inquiry

CNN
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House Speaker Mike Johnson stated Saturday he believes Republicans have the votes to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

“I believe we will,” Johnson informed Fox News of a GOP-led impeachment inquiry. “I suspect no Democrats will assist in this effort, but they should.”

Johnson added Republicans “have a duty to do this” and “we cannot stop the process.”

Republican management and key GOP committee chairs on Friday made the case for why they consider an inquiry vote is critical, arguing it might strengthen their authorized standing in courtroom and accusing the White House of “stonewalling” their probe into the president and his son’s international enterprise dealings – a declare the White House has forcefully rebutted.

Johnson, showing alongside House GOP convention chair Elise Stefanik, claimed the inquiry wouldn’t be used as a partisan political device.

“Elise and I both served on the impeachment defense team of Donald Trump twice, when the Democrats used it for brazen partisan political purposes. We decried that use of it. This is very different,” Johnson stated.

“Now we’re being stalled by the White House because they’re preventing at least two to three DOJ witnesses from coming forward” and withholding proof from the National Archives, he continued. “A formal impeachment inquiry vote on the floor will allow us to take it to the next necessary step, and I think it’s something we have to do at this juncture.”

A spokesman for the White House counsel’s workplace, Ian Sams, informed CNN in a assertion Saturday, “This is a baseless, politically-motivated attempt to smear President Biden with lies, and it reflects how this chaotic House GOP is focused on the wrong priorities, when they should be working on real issues Americans actually care about like the President is.”

To this level, House Republicans have been pushing to formalize their impeachment inquiry into Biden however haven’t had the votes to take action.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy referred to as on his committees in September to open a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden amid rising stress from his proper flank to maneuver forward, although it has remained clear that the convention is split over whether or not the proof exists to question the president.

In response to a query about Hunter Biden’s legal professionals requesting an open listening to instead of a deposition, Stefanik referred to as the request “unacceptable” and stated “the only correct response to a subpoena is a deposition.”

“An open hearing is five minutes on the Democrat side, five minutes on the Republican side. It becomes a very public press opportunity,” Stefanik stated. “We want to go about this from a legal and factual perspective and the only way to go about that is through a deposition.”

“It’s the precedent,” Johnson added. “Every investigation of Congress in the modern era, the deposition has come first, and the public testimony follows. Why would we break that precedent now?”

This story has been up to date with further data.

CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.