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The original vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden was supposed to happen immediately after Congress’ August break. In fact, on Sept. 1, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the public to expect such a vote, calling it something “the American people deserve.”
There was, however, a small problem standing in the way: On Sept. 12, GOP leaders came to the awkward realization that they didn’t yet have the votes to advance an impeachment inquiry. McCarthy had a choice: He could honor his stated principles, or he could abandon them.
The then-speaker, of course, chose the latter, and directed three far-right committee chairs to open an impeachment inquiry without a floor vote. In the months that followed, there was precisely one impeachment hearing — it was an embarrassing fiasco for Republicans — and the campaign to uncover presidential wrongdoing came up empty.
It was at that point that the party, now led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, was left with another choice: Find a new hobby or advance a baseless process despite the absence of evidence.
The party did not choose wisely: The House voted 221-212 to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry into Biden.
It wouldn’t have taken much to tip the scales the other way. In a divided House, if just a handful of House Republicans had acknowledged reality, broken with their party, and dismissed this partisan sham as unnecessary, the resolution would’ve lost.
It was against this backdrop that quite a few GOP members in recent weeks and months — Don Bacon of Nebraska, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Michael McCaul of Texas, Dave Joyce of Ohio, et al. — publicly conceded that their party simply hadn’t uncovered evidence that Biden had done anything wrong.
And yet, the measure passed anyway.
As the dust settles on an exasperating debate, and members start eyeing trips to the airport, there’s no shortage of angles to keep in mind, but here’s a list of some of the elements that stand out for me:
Unprecedented: This isn’t the first such vote on an authorizing an impeachment inquiry, but it’s the first time Congress has ever authorized such a process without uncovering any evidence of wrongdoing against the intended target.
Missing moderates: For all the talk about the House GOP having a “moderate” wing, this vote is the latest proof that the faction doesn’t actually exist.
Unstated motivations: Why in the world are House Republicans doing this? I recently put together a Top 10 list exploring the party's motivations, but it’s #1 that matters most: Republicans haven’t made much of an effort to hide the fact that they’re seeking political payback with next year’s election in mind.
Mendacity: If the GOP’s case against Biden had real merit, the party wouldn’t have to lie, because the truth would be good enough. And yet, key Republican figures such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer have been caught repeatedly peddling obvious falsehoods related to the impeachment inquiry.
Transparency: The one thing that’s surprised me most about this process is how desperate Republicans have been to reject any shred of transparency, even as key GOP officials claim otherwise.
Do-nothing Congress: Speaker Johnson has said House Republicans can grow their majority by governing effectively. This weak partisan stunt is the opposite of governing effectively.
Potential backlash: Biden might not be popular, but there’s little public appetite for this anti-Biden crusade. Don’t be surprised if this wildly unnecessary gambit backfires on Republicans in the coming weeks and months.
Looking ahead: Republicans insist that this latest step is merely about an inquiry, which may or may not lead to an actual impeachment vote. No one actually believes this, and no one should: GOP members want to impeach the incumbent president. If that wasn’t the ultimate goal of this exercise, the party wouldn’t have bothered with this evidence-free authorization vote.