“Clown Show”: The GOP Describes Its Own Impeachment Process

Even Republicans have criticized the attempt to get rid of President Joe Biden.

Mandel Ngan/Getty

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“New Low.” “Pathetic.” “Clown show.” On Thursday, during the impeachment inquiry hearing for President Joe Biden concocted by the GOP amid a potential government shutdown, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) used Republican’s own words against them.

The nation is less than three days away from a potentially devastating government shutdown, with millions of federal workers’ paychecks hanging in the balance. Still, a group of far-right members of Congress are preoccupied with an attempt to impeach President Joe Biden on unsubstantiated claims that he benefitted from the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. 

Joining several other Democrats calling out the GOP during the hearing, Raskin’s team printed out quotes from Republicans denouncing the push to impeach Biden. “So let’s get it straight,” said Raskin during the hearing. “We’re 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the USA, and Republicans are launching an impeachment drive based on a long debunked and discredited lie.”   

Currently, Congress has until Saturday at midnight to pass a short-term spending bill or approximately 4 million federal employees will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until legislators reach an agreement, according to CNN. 

Since 2022, many far-right Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.), have spearheaded an effort to impeach Biden under the suspicion that he engaged in illicit financial activity with his scandal-ridden son, Hunter. However, as the media and several Democrats pointed out today, the evidence the GOP has of any wrongdoing on the president’s part is scarce. As my colleague, David Corn wrote:

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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