Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman had a mock concerned response to the news that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would launch an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.
McCarthy's move is seen as an attempt to placate far-right lawmakers who have threatened to remove McCarthy from his leadership position if he does not support their calls for significant spending cuts, which could result in a government shutdown by the end of the month.
Fetterman, when asked about McCarthy's announcement, responded with a burst of laughter and disbelief:
"Oh my God really? Oh my gosh, you know, oh it's devastating. OOOoOoOOoOoOOOOh don't do it, please don't do it. Oh no, oh no!"
You can see the video of Fetterman's response below.
Fetterman had previously told a group of reporters that Republicans should proceed with impeachment hearings if they are "gonna keep threatening it."
He added that an impeachment inquiry "would just be like a big circlejerk on the fringe right" and that Republicans had a "fetish for Hunter Biden," the President's son, who this summer pled not guilty to tax charges for filing two years of his tax returns late and expects a grand jury to return an indictment on a gun charge by September 29.
Many praised Fetterman's response and shared their own criticisms.
McCarthy's decision to unilaterally declare the impeachment investigation, without a formal vote in the House, intertwines Republican efforts to scrutinize Biden with the ongoing funding dispute in Congress.
Under McCarthy's plan, three House committees—Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means—will be tasked with conducting the impeachment inquiry into Biden and his family.
Republicans have been searching for evidence of financial misconduct or corruption by the president but have not yet produced concrete proof to support these claims. Nevertheless, they argue that they have gathered sufficient information to justify further investigation.
The announcement by Speaker McCarthy is seen as potentially paving the way for House investigators to issue subpoenas for bank records related to Biden and his family members as part of the impeachment inquiry, adding further tension to the ongoing budget and funding battles in Congress.
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