House GOP hard-liners are racing to force doomed votes on impeaching President Joe Biden. However, the party is divided on whether this is the right course of action.
The idea was sparked by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-Florida) motion to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), who has been vocal about his disapproval of former president Donald Trump and led the probe into Trump’s dealings with Russia.
While she was not able to persuade the House the first time, Luna prevailed on Wednesday using a “privileged resolution,” or a speedy floor vote.
Despite Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-California) warnings that this is the wrong time for a presidential impeachment, Luna and other Republican hardliners, such as Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), are ready to fight.
“I think to prematurely bring something up like that, to have no background in it, it undercuts what we’re doing at the committee level,” McCarthy told reporters.
Many other Republicans are also opposed to the impeachment, such as Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisianna). He believes that rushing this process will hurt the Republican party’s image.
“Things like impeachment are one of the most awesome powers of the Congress. It’s not something you should flippantly exercise in two days,” said Graves on Wednesday.
A resolution to impeach Biden will most likely fail, as Democrats only need a few Republicans to vote with them in order to have a majority. Those Republicans who choose not to vote with their party, however, will likely face backlash from other party members.
Biden’s administration will have no problem painting the Republican effort as another ploy to put Trump back in office. Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024, will point to this instance as one in which the GOP base prioritizes Trump over policy and tradition.
The House will vote this week on the resolutions to impeach Biden.
