GOP presidential candidates respond to Biden impeachment inquiry
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On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced he’s opening an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, relating to his son Hunter Biden’s international business dealings. McCarthy claimed an investigation had revealed “serious and credible allegations” related to President Biden’s involvement.
In response, presidential candidates vying for the Republican nomination — and a potential general election matchup with Biden — have been unanimous: Biden should be investigated.
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Donald Trump
The former president has accused Biden and his family of wrongdoing for years, and his calls for a formal impeachment trial escalated this summer. He has pushed for impeachment during campaign rallies and on social media.
In recent weeks, Trump has spoken regularly with House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, including a private conversation shortly after McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry Tuesday, Politico reports.
Last month, Trump told Republicans in Congress to impeach the president or “fade into oblivion,” warning that Biden and Democrats are “out to destroy America.”
“Biden is a Stone Cold Crook — You don’t need a long INQUIRY to prove it, it’s already proven,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “These lowlifes Impeached me TWICE (I WON!), and Indicted me FOUR TIMES – For NOTHING! Either IMPEACH the BUM, or fade into OBLIVION. THEY DID IT TO US!”
Trump is the only president in U.S. history to be impeached twice — once in 2019 for asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate the Biden family’s business dealings, and again in 2021 following the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor supports an impeachment inquiry, telling Newsmax this month that the House GOP should “pursue” it.
“The corruption is just incredible with what’s happened there,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis takes frequent shots at Hunter Biden in his stump speeches and campaign events, often questioning how the president’s son can make “millions” on his artwork and repeating a line that “my six-year-old daughter does better paintings than him.”
In the first GOP debate last month in Milwaukee, DeSantis’ opening line included a jab at Hunter Biden, saying Biden’s handling of the economy has made it so hardworking Americans cannot afford “groceries, a car, or a new home” while “Hunter Biden can make hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings.”
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy supports an impeachment inquiry, saying he believes the U.S.’ continued involvement in Ukraine is a form of “repayment” for Biden’s business dealings in the country.
“I’m on record going in favor of impeachment inquiry on Biden, because I personally believe the Ukraine war is indeed a repayment for a bribe made, now sending $200 billion of taxpayer money in the other direction,” Ramaswamy said during a Fox News appearance last month.
If he is elected, Ramaswamy has repeatedly vowed to use his executive authority to pardon Trump. He told the New York Post he would be “open to evaluating pardons” for members of the Biden family, too, “in the interest of moving the nation forward.”
Mike Pence
The former vice president supports an impeachment inquiry, saying the “very idea that these things were happening is something the American people deserve to get to the bottom of.”
“There are so many questions about Joe Biden’s involvement and connection to his son’s businesses when he was vice president of the United States,” Pence told Fox News last month.
Nikki Haley
When asked on Fox News whether House Republicans should begin impeachment proceedings against Biden, Haley responded, “they absolutely should.”
A Haley spokesperson clarified that the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor was referring to a congressional oversight investigation, “to get to the bottom of whether Joe Biden committed crimes or other impeachable offenses since the Justice Department refuses to do it.”
Tim Scott
When asked on Fox News last month if there is enough evidence for “an official probe” into Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings, Scott responded affirmatively.
“The answer is yes,” Scott said. “The cookie crumbs lead right back to the Biden family, not just to Hunter Biden. We need to gather all the facts, all the information so that justice can be served before the American people.”
Chris Christie
The former New Jersey governor has acknowledged there is “a lot of smoke” around the Bidens’ business relationships, and he called for a “thorough investigation.” But he warned Republicans of “cheapening” impeachment by launching proceedings before a proper investigation.
“I don’t see evidence yet that would support impeaching Joe Biden, and I think we’re cheapening impeachment by doing that kind of thing,” Christie said on a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“We need to get the facts on that and then we can make an intelligent decision about whether the facts exist to move forward to something more serious. But right now, I think what’s necessary is an investigation, both by the Congress and by the Department of Justice.”
