U.S. News
Pre-2020 Biden actions ‘may not be impeachable’, Senator cautions House
By Jake Beardslee · December 16, 2023
In brief…
- Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin has warned House Republicans that impeaching Biden over pre-2020 conduct is unlikely to lead to conviction.
- Mullin stated such conduct "may not be impeachable" and urged House GOP to ensure any case is "convictable" given the "high bar."
- Comments come after House vote to authorize impeachment inquiry over Hunter Biden dealings while Joe Biden was Vice President.
- Other Republican Senators echo warning that Senate conviction requiring Democratic votes is highly unlikely.
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has issued a warning to House Republicans that President Biden likely cannot be impeached and removed from office over any alleged misconduct prior to his election in 2020, casting doubt on the House GOP’s investigation into Biden family business dealings.
In an interview with Newsmax, Mullin stated “So what he did as vice president, what he did in between the two [offices] may not be impeachable.” He advised, “If they send us a case, make sure it’s convictable…the bar’s real high, there’s no question about it.”
Mullin’s comments come two days after the House voted 221-212 along party lines to approve a resolution authorizing a formal impeachment inquiry of Biden. Hunter Biden held a defiant press conference Wednesday insisting his father was never financially
The House Republican inquiry into alleged Biden family corruption centers on the years 2014-2017 when Joe Biden was Vice President and just after. Other prominent GOP Senators such as Mitch McConnell, John Thune, and John Cornyn have reinforced Senator Mullin’s caution that the prospects of convicting President Biden in the Democratic Senate are very dim.
Convicting and removing a president requires 67 Senate votes, meaning at least 18 Democrats would need to vote for conviction. Many Senate Republicans voted to acquit former President Trump’s second impeachment on technical grounds that he was no longer in office at the time of the Senate trial.