Politics

Republicans’ Biden impeachment hopes fade as support dwindles

By Jake Beardslee · February 23, 2024

House Republicans are facing increasingly dim prospects that their investigations into President Biden will lead to an actual impeachment vote, dealing a blow to GOP hopes of removing Biden from office. According to Republican lawmakers and aides, there likely aren’t enough votes in the House to impeach Biden despite over a year of investigations into the president and his family.

“I don’t see it going anywhere substantive,” said one House Republican, estimating that “easily 40-50” GOP members would vote against impeachment, according to Axios. “I don’t think it’ll go to the floor. There are too many Republicans who will tell the speaker it won’t pass,” said another. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios the inquiry has “not shown that a specific law was violated by the President as of yet.”

The Republican push for impeachment took a major hit last week after the indictment of Alexander Smirnov, a key witness whose explosive allegations about Biden played a big role in the probe. The FBI informant has now admitted Russian intelligence was involved in his claims about Biden and his son Hunter, the Justice Department said. Republicans have also struggled to directly tie Biden to his family’s business dealings, with witnesses routinely disputing any presidential links.

Even staunch impeachment supporters now sound pessimistic. “Would we have the will to do it? I doubt it. I doubt it would get through the House,” said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas). He argued many Republicans “don’t want to be put in a tough position,” especially retiring members who can ignore pressure from the conservative base.

Some Republicans hope a failed Biden impeachment could bolster former President Trump in 2024 if he points out Biden’s impeachment attempt. But with dwindling GOP support, the ongoing investigation may fizzle out despite a deposition of Hunter Biden scheduled for Tuesday.