Schiff: Biden impeachment inquiry just a way for McCarthy to ‘cling to’ Speakership

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said the impeachment inquiry into President Biden is just a way for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to “cling to” the Speakership and fend off any immediate challenges from far-right members threatening to remove him. 

“His only reason for being is to try to cling to that job,” Schiff said of McCarthy during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Last Word.” “And he’s being whipsawed, in this case, by the Matt Gaetzs, who are threatening to bring him down, and by others, who are threatening to bring him down over the budget.”

“So he’s going into this confluence of events where he’s trying to throw some red meat to the base, give them an impeachment, and at the same time, hang on to his job through this budget showdown at the end of the month,” Schiff added.

The California Democrat’s remarks come after McCarthy announced he would direct certain House committees to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden — a move many far-right members have recently been pushing for with greater focus in the last several weeks. The move has also been questioned by Senate Republicans.

House Republicans, however, argue Biden has directly financially benefited from his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings, or he made any policy decisions because of them.

While there has been no evidence Biden has committed official acts of corruption or illegal activity, McCarthy has indicated he is hopeful the impeachment inquiry will give the committees greater resources to conduct their investigation.

The impeachment investigation will be led by House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.).

Schiff, who was an impeachment manager during former President Trump’s first case, also noted the Speaker faces a looming budget deadline — and potential government shutdown — while attacking McCarthy’s ability to keep the lights on.

“The most rudimentary function of the House is to keep the lights on and keep the government open. It’s not even clear Kevin McCarthy can do that,” Schiff said. “He’s trying to throw this impeachment SOP to the right wing, maybe to get past this potential shutdown.”

“But the American people deserve so much better than what they’re getting from this Republican majority,” he added.