Even after a vote to go ahead with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Republicans struggled to explain on what basis they are moving forward with the investigation.
They are being questioned about their motivations and supposed commitment to transparency. At issue is whether Biden personally benefited from deals made with Chinese and other foreign companies by his son Hunter Biden, a private citizen.
But most House Republicans admit they have no evidence. So why are they proceeding?
Political analyst and head of the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute Rick Mullaney helped break down the House’s agenda.
“Some of this was sparked by lawyers from the White House who said they would not turn over documents, they would not respond to subpoenas because the house was acting unconstitutionally because there had not been a formal vote in the house,” Mullaney said. “So the speaker and others said, ‘We’re going to give you your formal vote’. So they had that formal vote. What happened yesterday was a formal vote for an impeachment inquiry as opposed to the informal inquiry that had been ongoing. So it opens the door to a legal process here.”
Political analysts say for the GOP this is a game of turnabout is fair play and a political tool.
“If you listen to the Democrats, part of the agenda for some of those Republicans is retribution and quite frankly motivated by Donald Trump who’s been urging this impeachment. Others are looking to the politics of 2024,” Mullaney said.
What remains to be seen is how it plays in the presidential election.
“The polling suggests that this is having little if any impact at all on the presidential race,” Mullaney said. “But what started out as a distraction and a nuisance has gotten some legs. His refusal to testify yesterday before Congress is significant. That investigation is going forward. So the answer to your question: The public right now is not paying attention to this.”
Mullaney added that while the public might not be paying attention, both Republicans and the Biden White House need to pay attention because as he puts it “2024 is shaping up to be a year unlike any other in our history.”