Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls was criticized after he came right out and admitted that the real reason House Republicans want to impeach President Joe Biden has everything to do with giving former President Donald Trump's campaign an edge in 2024.
A USA Today report notes that Nehls "has not shied away from pushing for Biden’s impeachment in part to play politics. In the event that Trump—who was impeached twice—becomes the 2024 GOP nominee, Nehls said he wants to give Trump “a little bit of ammo to fire back” by noting that Biden has also been impeached.
Nehls' quote soon came to the attention of Ammar Moussa, the Biden administration's Director of Rapid Response, who amplified it on X, formerly Twitter.
The inquiry, which accuses Biden of influence peddling, has been praised by members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who have repeatedly attempted to link the President to his son Hunter's business deals. The younger Biden has been the subject of GOP-led investigations into his business interests and in September was indicted on federal gun charges.
Republicans have been searching for evidence of financial misconduct or corruption by the president but have not yet produced any proof to support these claims.
The news that Nehls and other Republicans are well aware it's a political ploy to give Trump's campaign more legitimacy was swiftly criticized.
Nehls' remarks mirror statements made by Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan during the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
At the time, Jordan admitted the House GOP's "Weaponization" Committee exists solely to ensure Trump wins in 2024. Jordan espoused the importance of investigating Republican grievances in the "hope" that "President Trump is going to run again and we need to make sure that he wins."
The subcommittee is a new branch of the House Judiciary Committee, which is currently chaired by Jordan. What the New York Times described as "the marquee committee of the new Republican majority" produced little to no evidence of government misconduct or targeting of Trump and other far-right figures.
