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The House Republicans’ impeachment crusade against President Joe Biden isn’t technically over — the GOP lawmakers behind the gambit haven’t officially pulled the plug — but it’s no secret that the entire effort was an embarrassing failure for the Democrat’s opponents. Indeed, the whole endeavor made Republicans look far worse than their intended target.
As recently as a couple of months ago, among GOP officials on Capitol Hill, there was a grudging realization: Biden may or may not be brought down in 2024, but either way, the hapless Republican investigations were a pointless distraction that have had no meaningful impact on the election cycle.
GOP crusaders were left to lick their wounds and fight amongst themselves over why they failed — right up until the first presidential debate 11 days ago, at which point congressional Republicans breathed new life into their campaign against Biden. NBC News reported overnight:
The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee requested Sunday that President Joe Biden’s physician appear for a transcribed interview about Biden’s medical evaluation. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter to Dr. Kevin O’Connor that he also sought to tie O’Connor to a series of inquiries he has made about Biden’s relatives’ businesses.
I’m skeptical this will amount to much — the president’s physician appears to be little more than a new toy for GOP lawmakers to play with after they broke their earlier playthings — but what’s notable about Comer’s letter is the degree to which it’s part of a larger flurry of activity.
25th Amendment: After the debate, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the White House cabinet should explore invoking the 25th Amendment and ending Biden’s presidency. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina made related comments, and Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas went so far as to introduce a formal House resolution on the matter.
More impeachment: In addition to his 25th Amendment resolution, Roy last week raised the prospect of impeaching Vice President Kamala Harris for, as the Texan argued, covering for Biden.
Select committee: Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told Fox News last week that there should “absolutely” be a congressional investigation into the president’s health, and soon after, Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana also told Fox News that he’s “all for“ the creation of a new House select committee that would focus entirely on Biden’s fitness for office.
The point, of course, is not that these endeavors are serious. They are not.
But after the impeachment effort flopped, GOP members were looking for something new to do in the hopes of undermining the Democratic ticket, and the presidential debate apparently got the party’s creative juices flowing.
What’s more, this list is likely to grow in unpredictable ways as members return to Capitol Hill today following a two-week break. Watch this space.