Jeffries: Impeachment inquiry ‘a kangaroo court, a fishing trip, and a theater of conspiracy’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) tore down House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) announcement that the House will pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, calling the investigation a “kangaroo court, a fishing expedition and conspiracy theatre.” One.”

The comment — which came during a press conference with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) — came hours after McCarthy, in a public statement, directed House committees to open their doors. . An official impeachment inquiry against Biden.

The announcement capped weeks of speculation about whether the House GOP caucus would go ahead with an impeachment inquiry, which Democrats and the White House strongly opposed.

“There is no evidence that President Joe Biden engaged in wrongdoing; “There is no evidence that President Joe Biden committed a crime,” Jeffries said Tuesday.

“This is an illegal impeachment inquiry. He continued: “Period, full stop.” “It’s a waste of time and taxpayer money.”

Jeffries pledged that House Democrats would defend Biden “to the end.”

“President Joe Biden is a good man, an honest man, and a patriot,” Jeffries said. “House Democrats will defend President Biden today. We will defend President Biden tomorrow. We’ll be defending President Biden next week. We will defend President Biden next month. We will defend President Biden next year. “We will defend President Biden until the end.”

The Republican-led House committees have for months been investigating the Biden family’s business dealings since Joe Biden was vice president, collecting banking transactions, hearing testimony from whistleblowers who say the Justice Department slowed down the investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax crimes and providing testimony. From Devon Archer, a former Hunter Biden colleague, who said Hunter put his father on speakerphone during meetings with foreign business partners. Archer said the conversations were limited to pleasantries.

The committees have uncovered no evidence that Biden directly benefited financially from his family’s business activities, but a recent memo from Republicans on the House Oversight Committee argued that lawmakers do not have to show direct payments to the president to prove corruption.

McCarthy said Tuesday that Biden’s behavior and the allegations about his family “paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House,” McCarthy said.

Top Democrats on Tuesday also criticized McCarthy for not holding a vote to launch an impeachment inquiry, as he said earlier this month. “If we move forward with the impeachment inquiry, it will be done by a vote on the House floor and not by a one-man declaration,” the House speaker told Breitbart News on September 1, but launched the investigation on his website. Tuesday special.

“The investigation has been opened,” a McCarthy spokesman told The Hill on Tuesday.

The House speaker criticized then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in 2019 for announcing an impeachment inquiry without taking a formal vote.

A number of House GOP moderates have said they oppose opening an impeachment inquiry, making it uncertain whether McCarthy would get the votes if the question came up.

“He pledged to hold a vote on an investigation, but the leaders of the MAGA Republican Conference are not here to serve the American people, improve their lives or brighten their future,” Clark said Tuesday. There is no agenda except chaos and division. They are only interested in promoting MAGA extremism.