Speaker Johnson doesn’t commit to holding Biden impeachment vote

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would not commit to holding a vote on articles of impeachment against President Biden when asked about the prospect Wednesday, a posture that comes as Republicans struggle to find a smoking gun in their months-long probe of the president.

Asked during the House GOP retreat in West Virginia if he sees a path to holding a vote to impeach Biden this Congress, Johnson was noncommittal, telling reporters lawmakers must gather more information before making a decision on a floor vote.

“The impeachment inquiry and the investigation that accompanies that will continue. There is still bits of information that have been requested that have not yet been turned over, and our committees will continue to do that work. And they will process all of that and make those decisions as they come forward,” he said during a press conference.

During a conversation at the retreat later in the day with New York Post reporter Josh Christenson, Johnson said “once all of that is done,” referring to the committees receiving more information, “we’ll carefully evaluate that and make a decision as a body, as a leadership team, about where we proceed from there.”

Pressed by Christenson about what information is missing from the probe, Johnson accused Hunter Biden, the president’s son, and James Biden, the president’s brother, of providing false information during their closed-door depositions.

Both Bidens testified that the president was not involved in their business dealings.

“The simple answer is what was missing from those interviews, in my view, is a lot more truth,” Johnson said. “I think they were fairly evasive. I think, clearly, I believe that there was testimony provided that is just demonstrably untrue based upon the bank records and some of the evidence and whistleblower testimony that's come forward.”

“It’s a pretty alarming set of facts, and I think most of the American people can draw their own conclusions about this,” he continued. “We have a constitutional responsibility to draw an ultimate conclusion about the impeachment process with regard to the president himself.”

The GOP’s multipronged impeachment inquiry into Biden has lasted months and, thus far, has failed to drum up evidence that the president committed a high crime or misdemeanor. Republican investigators have focused heavily on the overseas business dealings of Hunter Biden, but have not uncovered evidence backing up their claims of corruption and influence peddling on the part of the president.

Those circumstances came into sharper focus last month, when closed-door testimony from Hunter Biden and James Biden failed to provide a smoking gun to prove the GOP’s allegations.

Republicans, however, are vowing to barrel ahead with their investigation. Next week, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee is slated to hold a hearing titled “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office.” Republicans invited Hunter Biden to appear during the hearing — a public appearance following his closed-door disposition — but he declined the request.

Republicans also invited Devon Archer, a former Hunter Biden business associate who testified about the Biden “brand” but said he was not aware of any wrongdoing on the part of the president; Tony Bobulinski, a former associate of Hunter Biden who was only briefly involved in their business dealings and later became involved with former President Trump’s campaign; and Jason Galanis, a former associate of Archer who is serving time in federal prison on charges related to defrauding a Native American tribe.

Johnson has consistently defended the slow pace of the impeachment inquiry, arguing that it must be a “methodical” process.

“The investigation has been slow and deliberate and methodical, as it must be on the Constitution,” he said during a press conference at the House GOP retreat Thursday. “I referenced yesterday — I understand and I think about this all the time — what a heavy power that is, that the House is given specifically in the Constitution, and how it needs to be very careful and deliberate.”

But he did admit that he has not yet conducted a “deep dive” into the evidence gathered by House GOP investigators because he has been occupied by other Speaker responsibilities.

“To be very frank with you, very honest and transparent, because I’ve been so busy with all my other responsibilities, I have not been able to take the time to do the deep dive in the evidence,” Johnson said.