Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) slammed his Republican colleagues attempt to impeach President Joe Biden as a political stunt, days before he successfully led the effort to remove Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker.
Gaetz made the comments during a fundraiser on Zoom last week moderated by former Donald Trump political advisor Steve Bannon, according to NBC News
Gaetz told Bannon that he doesn’t “believe that we are endeavoring upon a legitimate impeachment of Joe Biden,” because there hasn’t been a formal subpoena issued to Biden’s son, Hunter.
He dismissed the impeachment effort as a joke and a political stunt.
“They’re trying to engage in a, like, ‘forever war’ of impeachment. And like many of our forever wars, it will drag on forever and end in a bloody draw,” Gaetz said.
“I just don’t get the sense that it’s for the sake of impeachment. I think it’s for the sake of having another bad thing to say about Joe Biden,” he added.
Last month, former Speaker McCarthy formally launched an impeachment inquiry into Biden over Hunter’s business dealings overseas, despite a lack of evidence showing Biden profited or was improperly influenced by them while serving as vice-president.
Several Republicans, including Gaetz’s fellow House Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) have criticized the probe.
Gaetz made the comments at the fundraiser days before he led a successful effort to oust McCarthy as House speaker. Gaetz, Buck and six other Republicans voted with every Democrat in the chamber to remove McCarthy.
These Republicans still have massive leverage in the House which they could use to extract concessions about impeachment from McCarthy’s replacement.
