OAN’s Noah Herring
4:24 PM – Tuesday, July 18, 2023
House Republicans have sparked debate on if they should impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland after Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested focusing on him rather than other Biden officials.
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The House GOP has been focused on the possible impeachment of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas or President Biden. Despite this, McCarthy (R-Calif.) encouraged that the focus be shifted towards Garland, an official who is often criticized by the GOP.
McCarthy first mentioned the move in a tweet last month highlighting the testimony of an IRS whistleblower, who alleged that the Hunter Biden investigation was mismanaged, claiming it could serve as a “significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry.”
“We need to get to the facts, and that includes reconciling these clear disparities. U.S. Attorney David Weiss must provide answers to the House Judiciary Committee,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a tweet on Sunday. “If the whistleblowers’ allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland’s weaponization of (the Department of Justice).”
Not all members of the House GOP are on board with McCarthy. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said that it is up to the president to remove those who aren’t following orders or carrying out their jobs, with congress stepping in only if the president fails to do so.
Some Republicans who authored more than a dozen impeachment resolutions were surprised that the officials the documents targeted have not taken center stage.
“I was one of the original co-sponsors of the Secretary Blinken impeachment,” Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) said. “We ought to take that up first for the incredibly, horribly done withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
McCarhty doubled down on his stance against Garland last week in a Fox News op-ed.
“When a prosecutor shields his boss’s son from investigators, it smells like a cover-up. Garland’s DOJ did not aggressively follow the money. Why? Are they afraid where that trail ends?” he said.
“Clearly, someone is not telling the truth, and Congress has a duty to get answers,” McCarthy continued.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee backed McCarthy’s idea, offering stronger support for targeting Garland rather than other Biden officials.
“I think he sees the facts now,” Jordan said of McCarthy. “So it’s quickly [becoming] who are you going to believe? … I’m with the speaker on we need to get to the facts. And if it warrants moving forward with an inquiry we got to do that.”
“That’ll be a decision that in the end will be made by the entire conference,” he added.
Until McCarthy’s comments regarding Garland, Mayorkas seemed like the likeliest target of a House GOP impeachment of a member of Biden’s Cabinet. Republicans have pushed to impeach Garland for almost two years over his policies at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
The conflict of interest could be a struggle for McCarthy and Jordan.
“I think the chairman of Judiciary has a cat-herding issue that he’s got to deal with, probably,” said Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), who serves on the panel and the House Homeland Security Committee, which plans to forward its oversight report on Mayorkas for use by Judiciary.
“I will say that I have a less fully formed case in my head in all its particulars about Merrick Garland than I do about the others,” Bishop added.
House Republicans held a conference meeting on Thursday morning. There, updates were given on investigatory efforts into the Biden family. According to lawmakers, McCarthy urged Republicans to follow the evidence.
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