CNN host Abby Phillip shut down Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz's claims about the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, noting that Republicans do not actually have evidence linking Biden to anything illegal.
Gaetz appeared on the network following House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's order calling for an impeachment inquiry into the President for alleged influence peddling.
The exchange became heated when Gaetz asked if Phillip believed Joe Biden "was involved" in his son Hunter's business deals. The younger Biden has been the subject of GOP-led investigations into his business interests and was this week indicted on federal gun charges.
You can see their exchange in the video below.
Phillip gave the following response to Gaetz's question:
“It’s not about what I believe. It’s about whether there is evidence that President Biden is linked to the misdeeds that might be linked to Hunter Biden. That’s the issue.”
Gaetz attempted to push unproven assertions about Biden's involvement, to which Phillip maintained her position that it all comes down to evidence:
“It’s not about innuendo. It’s not about what I believe. It’s a question: Do you have evidence?"
"If you had evidence that Joe Biden was linked to Hunter Biden’s business deals in a way that is illegal, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Furthermore, Phillip mentioned that House Republicans might not have sufficient votes to initiate an inquiry, a fact Gaetz acknowledged. However, he argued that the process should involve "debates" and "hearings" to determine whether there is a case.
Gaetz was swiftly called out for his remarks as many praised the way Phillip handled the interview.
Republicans have actually said that finding evidence that the President committed high crimes doesn't actually matter.
Well before McCarthy officially announced the impeachment inquiry—a move made to appease a far-right contingent—Fox News personality Laura Ingraham was criticized after she downplayed the significance of finding "sufficient proof" to convict Biden of any financial crime.
Ingraham called proof "irrelevant," a statement that echoed a statement made earlier in the spring by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, who came under fire after he admitted the ongoing investigation into the President's family members and their finances is aimed at helping Donald Trump win the presidency in 2024.
Comer was similarly criticized after he claimed during a Fox News interview that a key "informant" on the Biden administration's alleged corruption mysteriously vanished, casting a cloud of uncertainty over the GOP's ongoing probe.
To date Republicans have not produced any evidence linking then-Vice President Joe Biden to any criminal activities on the part of his son. In fact, the closed door testimony of one of Hunter Biden's business partners confirmed that Joe Biden had no connection that he was aware of.
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