Biden spokesperson: McCarthy turning House into Trump’s campaign arm over impeachment inquiry

The Biden campaign on Tuesday accused Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of acting as a “super-surrogate” for former President Trump’s campaign after the California Republican earlier in the day directed House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

“As Donald Trump ramped up his demands for a baseless impeachment inquiry, Kevin McCarthy cemented his role as the Trump campaign’s super-surrogate by turning the House of Representatives into an arm of his presidential campaign,” Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement.

“11 days ago, McCarthy unequivocally said he would not move forward with an impeachment inquiry without holding a vote on the House floor. What has changed since then?” Moussa added.

McCarthy never quite said he would not move forward with impeachment, but his remarks haven’t been definitive on the matter. McCarthy’s formal endorsement of impeachment earlier Tuesday comes after he said for weeks that he believed the House probes would eventually develop into an impeachment inquiry. He had faced growing pressure from conservative members of the House to move forward with an inquiry.

In the months that the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has been investigating the Biden family business dealings, it has not definitively proven that Biden directly benefited financially from his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings or that he made any policy decisions because of them.

Trump, who remains in touch with McCarthy, wrote in a late August post on Truth Social that Republicans should impeach Biden, or they would “fade into OBLIVION.”

Biden allies have seized on McCarthy’s past comments, including that he said the full House would vote on launching an impeachment inquiry, which did not happen. They have also noted that some Republicans in both the House and Senate have expressed reservations about moving forward with an impeachment process against Biden.

“While MAGA Republicans spend all of their time attacking President Biden and his family, the president is working every day to make life better for American families across the country,” Moussa said. “President Biden will remain focused on the issues that matter to everyday Americans — lowering costs, growing the economy, making our communities safe, and protecting Social Security and Medicare — while he tries to bring the country together, not divide us even further.”