# "House to start an impeachment inquiry into President Biden" **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 12, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995 "2023-09-12T16:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/421 "2023-12-18T19:26:07Z")
He does reportedly fear poisoning, so I’d be amazed if he ever ate anything the chefs made. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/422 "2023-12-18T19:43:10Z")
Cold McDonald’s Stacked up high E-I-E-I-O ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/423 "2023-12-18T20:29:52Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Twice!](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-donald-trump-serves-fast-food-college-athletes/story?id=61460255) But he had an excellent reason-"Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, " 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/424 "2023-12-19T19:37:14Z")
He probably just thinks that the Golden Arches are actual gold. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/425 "2024-03-15T15:41:42Z")
White House Counsel to Republican Speaker of the House: Cut it out. > **[White House tells Mike Johnson Biden impeachment probe ‘is over’ in scathing...](https://news.yahoo.com/white-house-tells-mike-johnson-090000989.html)** > > Biden administration slammed the House Republicans probe: ‘Enough is enough’ > In a scathing letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, White House Counsel Ed Siskel said it had become “clear” that the “House Republican impeachment is over,” citing reporting by ABC News, Punchbowl News and Fox News in which members of the Republican majority admitted to reporters that the inquiry is “falling apart,” has found “nothing anywhere close to an impeachable offence” and has failed to “identify a particular crime” that they can use to justify impeaching Mr Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/426 "2024-03-16T22:14:14Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > White House Counsel to Republican Speaker of the House: You could almost feel sorry for Mike Johnson. The Trumpites in the House are eager to oust him from the Speakership if he fails to keep going after Biden. Evidence be damned. Meanwhile it appears that their one and only witness “against” Biden, indicted-for-lying Alexander Smirnov, was well-known as a fraudster long before Republicans (including Fox News) started touting him as their “evidence” that Biden was impeachable. Covered with glory, all of them! > [@](#): > > … Federal prosecutors were put on notice as far back as 2016 that Alexander Smirnov, the confidential FBI informant whose alleged lies about President Biden’s business dealings fueled — and then damaged — a Republican impeachment effort, was a known “liar and a fraudster.” …A CBS News investigation reveals that serious doubts about Smirnov’s credibility were raised almost a decade ago and are now prompting questions about why he remained on the FBI payroll as long as he did. … > **[Ex-FBI informant accused of lying about Bidens was called a "fraudster" in a...](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alexander-smirnov-fbi-informant-bidens-fraudster-in-prior-case/)** > > Alexander Smirnov, the confidential FBI informant charged with lying about President Biden's business dealings, was accused of being "a liar and a fraudster" in a previous case. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/427 "2024-03-16T22:33:57Z")
Johnson to White House: “I’ll let Trump know of your request, and get back to you after he tells me what to do. I hope he doesn’t hit me again.” ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/428 "2024-03-16T22:52:53Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > You could almost feel sorry for Mike Johnson. The Trumpites in the House are eager to oust him from the Speakership if he fails to keep going after Biden. From [what I read](https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/white-house-encourages-house-republicans-to-move-on-from-their-biden-impeachment-effort/MASPPLI5QJDNDEKIOW5VJAM36I/), the tentative plan is to, in lieu of an impeachment sure to fail in the Senate, or even the House, make a criminal referral to the Justice Department. Then, if and when Trump is inaugurated next January, a Trump toady AG will act on the criminal referral and order the arrest of Joe Biden: > [@](#): > > Without delving into specifics, Johnson said the probe has unearthed “a lot of things that we believe that violated the law.” > > While sending criminal referrals would likely be a mostly symbolic act, it could open the door to prosecutions of the Bidens in a future administration, particularly as former President Donald Trump has vowed to take revenge on his political detractors. This seems to me a realistic plan that will not endanger Mike Johnson in the least, except, maybe, in the eyes of history. A possible plan weakness is that existing Justice Department employees will refuse to arrest Biden without a long drawn out indictment process. Of course, they already are planning to fire lots of civil servants. Then, the judiciary might stop it with some kind of interlocutory appeal. If Trump wins, there is no instant dictatorship. Instead, rule of law is put to a test. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/429 "2024-03-16T23:04:24Z")
First, even they will have to come up with a specific charge. That’s not something that anyone has been able to articulate. They can’t arrest Biden for “corruption”. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/430 "2024-03-16T23:26:47Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > First, even they will have to come up with a specific charge. Don’t caudillos arrest first and then come up with charges? But maybe you are correct – Trump would tell them to charge Joe and Hunter with everything he was charged with. In his first term, his people would have told him you can’t do that. But now he’d have a more compliant team. A second Trump term would not be fascism. But I don’t think it would exactly be the rule of law either. However, I’m getting ahead of myself. For this thread, the message is that they don’t have the votes for impeachment. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/431 "2024-03-16T23:58:11Z")
I see any potential, generic DOJ referral as more of a present day hail mary. Republicans desperately and without forethought trying to have _something_, _anything_ to show. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/432 "2024-03-17T04:23:45Z")
The position of POTUS is not an emperor as much as Trump wishes it was. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/433 "2024-03-17T05:03:02Z")
Always remember: the emperor has no clothes. If they cannot impeach, then they’re going for criminal charges against President Biden, if I understand correctly. I’m not sure on what grounds, but I’m sure they’ll whomp something up. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/434 "2024-03-17T19:41:08Z")
They can’t impeach it seems- [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/13/house-gop-biden-impeachment-plans-00146622](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/13/house-gop-biden-impeachment-plans-00146622) _House Republicans are increasingly acknowledging that they don’t have the votes to impeach President Joe Biden, leaving them in search of other ways to antagonize the White House._ _While some Republicans insist they could still take up formal articles of impeachment, they’re not close to the near-unanimous support to recommend booting him from office. And no bombshell moment emerged out of Tuesday’s high-profile hearing with former Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Hur, though Hur’s testimony managed to cast Biden in a negative light by exploring his mishandling of classified documents._ ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/435 "2024-03-17T22:22:38Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > This seems to me a realistic plan that will not endanger Mike Johnson in the least, except, maybe, in the eyes of history. Or if he had a conscience. That might endanger him some. Mike Johnson does have a certain talent for _appearing_ to have a conscience. Someone like Kevin McCarthy is openly a member of the oldest profession (shall we say, given the sub-forum venue). McCarthy is always looking around for instructions on how to arrange his face and what to say. Johnson emits more of an air of actually consulting his own mind when choosing how to arrange his face and what to say. But the odds are that it’s a sham. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/436 "2024-03-17T22:32:19Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Someone like Kevin McCarthy is openly a member of the oldest profession (shall we say, given the sub-forum venue). Members of that profession have empathy and humanity. McCarthy? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/437 "2024-03-17T22:36:29Z")
Fair point. He’s definitely in the empty shell category, I’d say. As are, I’d guess, many in the House willing to go along with this ‘_let’s hold hearings with no evidence but that’s okay just the fact that we hold hearings will convince lots of independent voters that Biden’s a crook_’ Plan A. (Of Plan B, the ‘_bring criminal charges so Trump’s AG can go after him_’ one: that seems to delve more into the realm of Evil.) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/438 "2024-03-18T14:26:32Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > First, even they will have to come up with a specific charge. > That’s not something that anyone has been able to articulate. It’s really not that hard. You’re having trouble coming up with a charge because you’re worried about all that “having evidence that will stand up in court” thing. Trump and his enablers won’t care about that. So, charge #1: Biden accepted a bribe. They have someone who says Biden did this, and the fact that the witness is a disaster doesn’t matter. Charge #2: Biden had classified documents in his possession. They’ll just ignore all the context around that, and charge him for possession. This one would actually stand up, because Biden is technically guilty of it. It’s a matter of prosecutorial discretion that he’s not being charged, and it’s a lock that one of the first things Trump will ask any new DoJ candidates is, “Will you charge Biden with this crime?” ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/439 "2024-03-18T15:34:37Z")
Politically, I don’t see how a criminal referral avails House Republicans at all. More moderate voters will just roll their eyes. And their rabid base voters will be outraged that Republicans couldn’t impeach when they have the majority but instead would rather refer the matter to Biden’s own Justice Department. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995/440 "2024-03-18T15:36:36Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > And their rabid base voters will be outraged that Republicans couldn’t impeach when they have the majority but instead would rather refer the matter to Biden’s own Justice Department. Nah, just spin it as “Impeachment is too good for him! Only DC Swamp Dwellers care about impeachment! He should be in jail, that felon!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-to-start-an-impeachment-inquiry-into-president-biden/989995.md?page=23)