US President Joe Biden made his first public comments on the potential impeachment inquiry opened by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last Tuesday (12), as his advisers implement a plan to respond to the latest confrontation with the Republican leader.
Biden linked the investigation to the looming issue over government funding. Congress has until September 30 to resolve the issue, and McCarthy faces deep divisions within his own conference over how to handle the issue.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, I’m not sure why, but they just knew they wanted to accuse me. And now, from what I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to paralyze the government,” Biden said.
“So, look, look, I have a job to do. Everyone always asked about impeachment. I get up every day, no joke, I’m not focused on impeachment. I have a job to do. I have to deal with the issues that affect the American people every day,” he continued.
The case comes after Biden aides spent the August congressional recess preparing to respond to an impeachment inquiry, after the speaker of the House suggested in late July that such a measure was approaching.
The Biden team’s main goal is to counter what many Democrats fear could become an ingrained self-dealing narrative about the president — despite the lack of any evidence so far of wrongdoing.
“If you don’t respond, it can penetrate the voter’s psychology. They’re following that line,” said one person familiar with the White House’s thinking.
VIDEO – Speaker of the US House calls for Biden’s impeachment
Fragile moment
The impeachment inquiry comes at a fragile political moment for the president.
Widespread concern about his age and re-election prospects has caused nervousness in Democratic circles. Some allies have expressed personal concern about how the intense attention lavished on his son Hunter Biden could become a hindrance for him, politically and emotionally.
But Biden advisers believe the inquiry announced by McCarthy could be used to their advantage if Republicans are seen as overstating their claims or shirking their government responsibilities, according to officials who laid out their plans.
An impeachment inquiry would give Republicans new powers to request documents and testimony about the Bidens. Even an inquiry with shaky foundations and without the support of a majority of lawmakers will still consume time and energy within the White House.
While House Republicans have so far been unable to reveal anything that shows Biden profited from his son’s business, they have learned that Hunter used his father’s name to help advance the business.
A former partner, Devin Archer, testified that there were “maybe 20 times” that Joe Biden was put on speakerphone during meetings with his business partners and Hunter, although he said “nothing” of importance was ever discussed during that meeting. these connections.
Even as Republicans continue to fail to produce direct evidence linking the president to his son’s dealings, some polls already show concern among voters, with 61% of Americans saying in a poll by the CNN released last week that they think Biden had at least some involvement in Hunter’s trade talks.
Another 42% say they think he acted illegally and 18% say his actions were unethical but not illegal.
For now, the White House views the situation from a communications perspective and not as a legal issue. They have not yet formally heard from any of the committees involved.
“We see this as a battle of political communication versus a legitimate impeachment inquiry,” said a source familiar with the White House strategy.
The aggressive posture of the messages, according to this source, represents a recognition that it is necessary to fill the vacuum and react to the Republicans.
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Republicans in the House
With the prospect of a government shutdown if lawmakers can’t agree on a new spending package by Sept. 30, Democrats also see an opportunity to point out what they see as a conference incapable of performing the basic functions of its job. .
Last year, the White House began preparing the ground to respond to Republican investigations in the event of a party takeover in the House.
In the hours after McCarthy opened the inquiry, the White House launched an aggressive messaging strategy centered on the lack of evidence so far linking the president to anything illegal.
House Republicans “can’t even say why they’re accusing him,” White House spokesman Ian Sams told the CNN on Wednesday (13).
The response strategy, which was taking shape, included a series of appearances by Sams on network television, posts on social media and in a letter from the White House to news executives urging them to step up their analysis of House Republicans. .
The Biden campaign also capitalized on the impeachment announcement, sending out an email in the name of Vice President Kamala Harris telling supporters it was time to “support our president” while nominally criticizing House Republicans for launching the inquiry.
“Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Republicans have just launched a ridiculous impeachment inquiry into President Biden,” the fundraising email stated.
The email is the first of several expected efforts by the Biden campaign to use the new investigation to its advantage and raise funds.
The close association between former President Donald Trump and House Republicans who pushed for the inquiry — Trump has discussed the matter with members in recent days — has also provided an opening for Biden aides to paint the measure as an exercise in extremism.
Talking points distributed by the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday suggested that Biden supporters framed the impeachment as if “McCarthy was doing Trump’s bidding.”
“Trump pressured Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans to move forward with a baseless impeachment and the Speaker of the House immediately complied,” says one of the discussion points.
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Impeachment and the White House
Still, despite all the preparation, impeachment-related measures are not welcome in the White House.
In the past, these procedures became distractions that consumed attention despite efforts to ignore the fact. Much like during Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the 1990s, the Biden White House has sought to defend the work of his administration.
This includes forming a team of more than 20 lawyers, legislative staff and communications consultants to fight back against potential impeachment.
Along with Speaker Sams, the White House named Dick Sauber to serve as special counsel and Russ Anello, former Democratic director of the House Oversight Committee, as counsel to respond to oversight requests.
The Biden campaign also hired Ammar Moussa, a Democratic National Committee official, to serve as the campaign’s response director, whose portfolio includes responding to issues such as an impeachment inquiry. The campaign sent talking points to allies following McCarthy’s announcement and will continue to prepare more documents with information on impeachment issues for television appearances.
The Democratic group Congressional Integrity Project has been one of the external entities leading the messaging campaign against impeachment, through polling memos and fact sheets.
One of the group’s goals is to reach the 18 House Republicans in the districts won by Biden.
“As McCarthy tries to avoid voting on an impeachment inquiry to keep Biden 18 from becoming public, the American people deserve to know where Biden 18 stands on an impeachment without evidence, and we will hold them accountable to the promises they made to the people American when they ran for office,” said Kyle Herrig, executive director of the Congressional Integrity Project.
Biden himself is unlikely to get into the habit of commenting on the process going forward. When asked about the issue during a White House event on Wednesday, the president looked straight ahead without answering, focusing instead on efforts to cure himself of cancer.
One element of the White House’s strategy is to keep him focused on his government duties, including plans to deliver what the White House called a “major economic speech” in Maryland this Thursday (15). He also continues to focus on foreign policy with a trip to the United Nations (UN) annual meetings in New York next week.
“The White House will do this with the goal of ensuring that they can respond to everything legally from a communications standpoint, while also keeping Joe Biden and Kamala Harris above the fray and focused on governing and communicating the domestic agenda,” he revealed. a source familiar with the matter.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
