Republicans Reject Motion to Impeach Joe Biden

House Republicans James Comer and Jim Jordan, who are leading an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, refused to second a motion made by Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, to impeach the president.

Moskowitz tried to put the motion on the table for a vote on Wednesday in an effort to call GOP lawmakers' bluff in what he called a "fake" probe.

The Context

Comer, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has been leading an investigation into Biden's alleged involvement in and benefit from son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, with the help of the House Judiciary Committee, which Jordan, an Ohio Republican, chairs.

The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden had anything to do with his son's dealings and the president has called it a "baseless political stunt."

The probe has been going on for more than a year and while Comer and Jordan claim to have evidence of wrongdoing by Biden, they have yet to call for a vote on the matter.

What We Know

Moskowitz, who sits on the Oversight Committee, addressed Comer at a committee hearing relating to the Biden impeachment probe.

"Let's just do the impeachment," he said. "Why continue to waste millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money if we're going to impeach because you believe you've shown he's committed a high crime or misdemeanor. What are you waiting on?

"By the way, we've got Chairman Jordan here also. Why aren't you guys calling for the vote in your committee? When is it gonna happen?"

Jordan responded: "We don't do snap impeachments like you guys. We actually do the facts. We do oversight according to the Constitution."

Speaking to the American people, Moskowitz said: "They haven't proven he committed a high crime and misdemeanor. Otherwise, we would call for impeachment."

Moskowitz then welcomed Jordan to second a motion to impeach Biden.

"I just think we should do it today. Let's just call for it," Moskowitz said. "I'll make the motion, Mr. Chairman. I wanna help you out. You can second it, right? Like, make the motion to impeach President Biden, go ahead.

Moskowitz was met with silence from Jordan and Comer.

Moskowitz then said to the public: "They're never gonna impeach Joe Biden. It's never gonna happen because they don't have the evidence. This is a show. It's all fake."

When reached for comment, an Oversight Committee spokesman told Newsweek via email on Wednesday: "Rep. Moscowitz showed up in a costume today. He isn't a serious member of Congress."

The spokesman was referring to a mask of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscowitz wore on his way to the hearing in an effort to accuse House Republican of falling for Moscow's disinformation. The mask was not worn in the hearing room.

When reporters asked about the mask, the congressman imitated Putin: "I just came to thank James Comer for taking all of our intelligence and using it in the committee."

Newsweek reached out to Biden's campaign and the White House via email for comment. It also reached out to Jordan via email and Moskowitz via phone for comment.

The Views

Comer painted Biden as either "complicit" or "incompetent" in his family's business dealings during his opening statement at Wednesday's hearing.

"What is apparent, after over a year of investigation, is that the Bidens do not work in any traditional sense of the word. They do not work as consultants. Or lawyers. Or advisors. The Bidens don't sell a product or a service or a set of skills," Comer said. "The Bidens sell Joe Biden."

He continued: "There are only two explanations for this. The first is that Joe Biden knows exactly what he is doing, and knows a handshake, a wink, and a smile is enough for him to maintain, as [Biden's brother] Jim Biden called it, 'plausible deniability.'"

"Or Joe Biden is being led around by his family and has no idea who he is meeting with or what message he is sending and is truly 'an elderly man with a poor memory,'" Comer said referencing a report released in February by the Department of Justice's Special Counsel Robert Hur, in which he characterized Biden as such.

What's Next?

As Comer and Jordan continue their impeachment probe into Biden, the president is campaigning for reelection against former President Donald Trump, the presumed GOP presidential nominee.

Biden and Trump are neck and neck in a recent The Economist/YouGov poll. Biden has a 1-point lead over Trump in the national poll conducted from March 16 to March 19 (44 percent to 43 percent). The poll surveyed 1,682 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent (adjusted for weighting) and plus or minus 3.4 percent (registered voters).

Update 3/20/24, 4:28 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/20/24, 4:59 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/20/24, 5:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the House Oversight Committee.