GOP Divided Over Boebert Forcing Biden Impeachment Vote

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) speaks during a news conference with the House Freedom Caucus on the debt limit negotiations at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on March 10, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In a move that showed division in the party, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has urged Republican lawmakers to oppose Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) impeachment resolution (pdf) targeting President Joe Biden.

During a closed-door meeting of the GOP conference, McCarthy expressed his reservations about the resolution and emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation before taking such a serious step.

“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do... You’ve got to go through the process. You’ve got to have the investigation... throwing something on the floor actually harms the investigation that we’re doing right now,” McCarthy told reporters, according to The Hill.

He also revealed he had requested that Boebert discuss her resolution with the House GOP conference before initiating a vote, but she proceeded without doing so. Boebert did not attend the subsequent meeting.

Despite McCarthy’s advice, Boebert went ahead and introduced the privileged motion to force a vote on the impeachment resolution, generating mixed reactions within the Republican Party.

The House Oversight Committee Chairman, James Comer (R-Ky.), expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which Boebert bypassed the committee process.

Comer, whose committee has been conducting an investigation into corruption accusations against the Biden family, revealed that new information was being uncovered almost daily. While he did not indicate his support for Boebert’s resolution, Comer voiced concerns about the lack of committee involvement.

“I don’t like how she presented it by bypassing the committee process, especially when the investigation in the Oversight Committee, which she’s on, is producing new information almost daily,” Comer told Fox News Digital.

More Republicans Reactions

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) responded to questions about impeachment by saying, “I believe it should go through thorough and proper vigorous debate and through assigned committees and the people should be present and witness said debate.

“The founders established the highest thresholds for impeachment, intended it to be almost impossible to impeach a president and very difficult to impeach a secretary.”

When asked point blank if he would support the measure, he said he “didn’t fully agree” with the resolution, and would not support it.

Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) told The Epoch Times, “I support impeachment, but I don’t know if I support that resolution just because I haven’t read the articles yet. But I think he’s done more than enough to warrant impeachment.”

When asked what the president has done to warrant impeachment, Fulcher cited the border and the “lack of willingness to enforce U.S. law.”

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) offered a ringing endorsement for the effort, telling Reporters on Capitol Hill, “I will not be voting to table it. I would support it if it comes to the floor … I think there’s enough evidence there to impeach, and if new evidence comes to light ... impeach again,” the lawmaker said, asserting that his district would want him to support the effort. 

When asked about his stance on Boebert’s resolution, Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) told The Epoch Times that a successful impeachment required building a case before a majority of American voters.

“I think we will be in a better position to vote on that in a month and ... maybe two months,” Grothman said.

“History has shown that if you want a successful impeachment, you have to build the case before a majority of the American voters. I think every couple of weeks on the Oversight Committee we learn more, but to bring forth a resolution as significant and drastic as impeachment … will not necessarily be helpful. I think most people believe.

“I think most people believe that if Joe Biden were impeached, it would raise his popularity right now and make him look a little bit like a martyr.”

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) expressed his support for a process that involves presenting evidence to the American people before considering impeachment. He emphasized the need to avoid following the Democrats’ approach from the previous Congress.

“I believe in a process ... I’m a Republican, not a Democrat. We don’t go around impeaching presidents like that,” Gimenez told The Epoch Times. “We need to go through a process. The American people need to see the President should be impeached. We shouldn’t follow what the Democrats said the last Congress.”

Moving Forward

While some party members caution against hasty decisions without comprehensive investigations, others view the privileged resolution as an opportunity to address critical issues such as border security. As the impeachment vote approaches, the House will witness a critical moment in the ongoing political battle between Republicans and Democrats.

Typically, an impeachment investigation begins with the Judiciary Committee. Bypassing the committee procedure results in only two days for House leaders to schedule a vote.

Notably, Boebert’s ideological ally, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), recently forced a vote on censuring Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for his handling of investigations into Trump and the first Trump impeachment. Late in the day on June 21, the House voted 213–209 on a revised resolution to censure Schiff. Six voted “present.”