House Republicans anticipate vote to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry 'soon'
Rep. Gimenez tells Fox News Digital he anticipates a vote before the House breaks on December 15
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry of President Biden is likely to come before the House of Representatives breaks for the December recess, multiple Republicans said Friday.
House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters he expected his committee to get the legislation "sometime next week," which will likely tee up a House-wide vote shortly thereafter.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said he anticipates a House-wide vote "before we will break" on December 15.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think that every Republican should be convinced about voting for the impeachment inquiry, there’s plenty of smoke there," Gimenez said.
President Biden is the subject of a months-long investigation by House Republicans. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
They spoke after a closed-door House GOP Conference meeting where the three chairmen investigating Biden and his family – Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.; Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. – reiterating their case for lawmakers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., said the meeting was held "to see where the votes are and make sure everybody’s communicated with, people have had their chance to understand what an impeachment inquiry is versus impeachment."
"It’s important we get it done as soon as possible so that we can move forward with this investigation," Hern said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said a vote would likely come "soon" and contrasted the push to formalize Republicans’ impeachment inquiry with how House Democrats handled former President Trump, moving forward with the impeachment process without a House-wide vote.
Rep. Kevin Hern said that House Republicans had met Friday to see ‘where the votes are’ on formalizing an impeachment inquiry into Biden. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
"We’re actually trying to do it the right way," Murphy said.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., directed the House to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in September, but the White House has dismissed the probe as illegitimate without a formal vote on the matter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The administration’s resistance to cooperating with House investigators’ subpoenas has inspired even Republicans in districts won by Biden in 2020 to support formalizing the inquiry.
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital, "This is what the administration has asked for."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The administration made it very clear, they weren't going to actually work with our constitutional authority, unless we did the vote. Fine," Schweikert said.
Then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy opened an impeachment inquiry without first holding a chamber-wide vote. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., said he would "very, very, firmly support" authorizing an impeachment inquiry.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I believe we have an unregistered foreign agent as our President of the United States and I believe the evidence is in place already to establish that," he said.
Asked when he believed a House-wide vote could occur, Duarte said, "I think, if we have the votes, it would be by the end of the year."
Oversight Democrats sent out a 5-page memo Friday morning rebutting Republicans’ claims, citing a "mountain of evidence" they said clears Biden of any wrongdoing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Rather than accept these facts, Republicans have resorted to cherry-picking and distorting facts in order to justify continuing this sham investigation aimed at satisfying the demands for retribution of President Trump who was twice indicted and now faces 91 felony counts," the memo read.