Republicans hold Biden impeachment inquiry hearing as shutdown looms, #ExtremeRepublicanShutdown trends.
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The Republicans held an impeachment inquiry hearing into President Joe Biden on Thursday, even as a government shutdown loomed. The hearing was met with criticism from the Democrats, who accused the Republicans of wasting time and taxpayer dollars on an illegitimate impeachment inquiry instead of focusing on funding the government.
The hearing comes two weeks after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched an inquiry into the president’s conduct over allegations of corruption in his family’s business dealings. The Republicans have not yet provided any evidence to substantiate these claims.
Four witnesses testified at the hearing, all of whom were experts in law and accounting. The Republicans invited former assistant attorney general Eileen O’Connor, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, and Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant. The Democrats invited Michael J. Gerhardt, a professor of jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
None of the witnesses appeared to have direct knowledge of the allegations against Biden. The GOP lawmakers also refrained from providing any evidence of wrongdoing by the president.
In a statement, the White House responded to the first day of the impeachment hearing by saying, “There are 60 hours and 55 minutes until the government shuts down because of extreme House Republicans’ chaos and inability to govern. The consequences for the American people will be very damaging – from lost jobs, to troops working without pay, to jeopardizing important efforts to fight fentanyl, provide food assistance, and more. Nothing can distract from that.”
In response to the Republican impeachment inquiry, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the Republicans of “wasting time and taxpayer dollars on an illegitimate impeachment inquiry” against President Biden instead of focusing on funding the government.
“Right now Republican extremism is rearing its ugly head. They are wasting time and taxpayer dollars in an illegitimate impeachment inquiry when we’re about 48 hours away or so from an extreme mega Republican government shutdown and this is what they’re focused on an illegitimate impeachment inquiry as opposed to doing the business of the American people which is quite simple live up to the agreement that you negotiated”
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The Republican impeachment inquiry has been met with widespread criticism, with many accusing the Republicans of playing politics and using the impeachment process as a weapon against President Biden.
The hashtag #ExtremeRepublicanShutdown trended on social media following the hearing, with users expressing their frustration with the Republicans’ actions.
The Republican impeachment inquiry is likely to continue for several weeks or months. However, it is unclear if the Republicans will be able to gather enough evidence to impeach President Biden.
