During recent remarks made to conservative radio host Todd Starnes, Florida Republican and Freedom Caucus member Matt Gaetz said it’s time to turn up the heat on Speaker Kevin McCarthy and push for impeachment action on President Joe Biden.
“I worked very hard in January to develop a toolkit for House Republicans to use in a productive and positive way. I don’t believe we’ve used those tools as effectively as we should have,” Gaetz told Starnes, adding that he plans to apply more pressure when Congress returns next week.
“That means forcing votes on impeachment. And if Speaker McCarthy stands in our way, he may not have the job long,” Gaetz said.
From The Hill:
During McCarthy’s election saga in January, he agreed to lower the threshold for a motion to vacate the chair — a move to force a vote on recalling the Speaker — from five members to one.
If Gaetz makes a move to force a vote on impeachment, he would not be the first House Republican to do so. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) in June forced a vote on her resolution to impeach Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The House voted to re-refer her impeachment articles to committees in a party-line vote.
Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, said in a statement that Gaetz’s comments show that the push to impeach Biden is politically motivated.
“On the heels of openly admitting the goal of impeachment isn’t to get to the truth but instead to damage the President politically, Matt Gaetz is yet again confirming that House Republicans’ evidence-free impeachment stunt is being driven by the demands of the most extreme, far-right members of Congress. Last week, Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to shut down the government if she didn’t get an impeachment vote, and now Gaetz is threatening to potentially oust Speaker McCarthy if he doesn’t give them what they want,” Sams said.
“If Speaker McCarthy opens an impeachment inquiry simply to throw red meat to the right wing, it will yet again prove this is nothing more than a costly, illegitimate, politically-motivated exercise not rooted in reality.”
Gaetz advocates forcing impeachment votes in warning to McCarthy https://t.co/r1jw60vwCZ pic.twitter.com/YAaqAIztYC
— The Hill (@thehill) September 6, 2023
