Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stressed his support for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden and his family’s business dealings Wednesday, calling for more interviews with witnesses under oath as the probe reaches “an inflection point.”
The signal of support for the inquiry, started by his ousted predecessor Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), follows a report from the Washington Post last week that said the new Speaker had privately signaled there was not yet enough evidence to initiate formal impeachment proceedings — sparking criticism from the right.
Johnson said that he received an update on the impeachment inquiry Wednesday from the three committee chairs overseeing in impeachment probe: James Comer (R-Ky.) of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) of the Judiciary Committee, and Jason Smith (R-Mo.) of the Ways and Means Committee.
“At this stage, our impeachment inquiry has already shown the corrupt conduct of the President’s family, and that he and White House officials have repeatedly lied about his knowledge and involvement in his family’s business activities,” Johnson said in a statement. “It has also exposed the tens of millions of dollars from foreign adversaries being paid to shell companies controlled by the President’s son, brother, and their business associates.”
“Now, the appropriate step is to place key witnesses under oath and question them under the penalty of perjury, to fill gaps in the record,” Johnson said.
“I commend the good work of Chairmen Comer, Jordan, and Smith. As we move forward toward an inflection point in this critical investigation, they have my full and unwavering support.”
The White House has repeatedly said that Biden was not improperly involved with any of his family’s foreign businesses, calling the many of the House GOP allegations “outlandish.”
Ian Sams, the White House spokespersonn for oversight and investigations, responded to Johnson’s statement by posting screenshots of articles fact-checking claims from those leading the House GOP impeachment inquiry.
“These Extreme House Republicans must be relieved that they aren’t under penalty of perjury themselves,” Sams said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Many interviews and subpoenas for key witnesses are in the works as the GOP committees push forward on the probe.
Last week, the Oversight Committee subpoenaed Hunter Biden, the president’s son, and James Biden, the president’s brother, as well as other Biden family members. It has also recently sent out inquiries for numerous business associates of the Biden family members.
One of those who had expressed concern with Johnson’s level of support for the impeachment probe after the Washington Post story was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). But Greene later posted an update in which she said Johnson told her: “I’ve explained repeatedly we are doing the methodical investigation that is required of us by the Constitution—but we are quickly nearing an inflection point.”