New: Top House Republicans are privately wrestling with both the timing and content of a long-awaited report wrapping up their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, according to multiple lawmakers and GOP aides.
Part of the debate is whether to move forward on this issue in the midst of the raging Democratic battle over Biden’s viability in November. House GOP leaders have been counseling their members to stay on the sidelines this week and let the Democratic drama play out rather than giving Democrats — and the public — a reason to rally to Biden’s side.
Multiple GOP sources said Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wanted to release the report as soon as this week, a move other senior Republicans opposed. They questioned the wisdom of that timeline, especially with the Republican convention around the corner.
Comer has been eager to move on from a flailing investigation that he’s been the face of for months. The Kentucky Republican has come up far short in proving some of the GOP’s most explosive allegations against the president. Comer, however, thinks there’s more than enough evidence both to impeach Biden and charge some of his family members — including Hunter and James Biden — with influence peddling and other crimes.
There’s also been extensive internal discussion about how far Republicans should go in formally calling for Biden’s impeachment, especially with Democrats fracturing over whether to keep Biden on their presidential ticket.
Most importantly, no Republican expects Biden’s impeachment to really happen anyway given the deep divisions inside the House GOP over the idea.
But the issue appears to have been resolved. After Comer initially pushed for language declaring Biden ought to be impeached “immediately,” Republicans involved in the process settled on language saying Biden committed “impeachable offenses,” according to sources familiar with the discussion.
Another reason for the holdup — with a trio of committees leading the investigation, all three have been providing input for the 400-page report, which we’re told has, at times, led to disagreements behind the scenes. An initial draft has been reviewed by the House’s counsel office, which suggested changes. GOP sources say the final product isn’t complete yet.
“You got three committees to work with,” House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told us this week. “We’re still working on it.”
“Just sit back and let the Democrats keep shooting each other,” added Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). “That’s my advice. But we do need to release it at some point.”
In an interview, Comer acknowledged the back-and-forth between the panels, as well as the internal debate over when to release the report.
“[Biden] has committed impeachable offenses, there’s no question about,” Comer asserted.
The draft report hasn’t officially been given to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office or other members of the House GOP leadership, we’re told.
“House Republicans appreciate the diligent work of the committees and look forward to reviewing the findings when they are ready,” said a senior Republican leadership aide.
