At a White House press briefing Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether she thought information would emerge during the House impeachment inquiry that might incriminate President Joe Biden, while she accused Republicans of pursuing impeachment as a “political stunt.”
But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy laid out his reasons for pursuing an inquiry, saying he believes there is enough evidence that Biden may have been involved in his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.
Jean-Pierre said Republicans in Congress spent all year investigating President Biden and have found no evidence, “because the president didn’t do anything wrong.”
“The only reason Speaker McCarthy is doing this political stunt ... is because Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to shut down the government. Can you imagine shutting down the government over a political stunt? ... She wanted him to actually do this, and if he didn’t she would shut down the government,” she said.
Jean-Pierre also said she believed Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., influenced McCarthy to announce a formal impeachment inquiry, saying Gaetz “threatened to oust him as a speaker if he didn’t do it.”
According to an interview with McCarthy, R-Calif., on NPR, the inquiry will be focused on:
- Official interactions with Hunter Biden’s business, specifically those with foreign clients, in particular the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma.
- Money paid to President Biden or other family members for “work with foreign entities.”
- Whether Hunter Biden received “special treatment” from the Justice Department in ongoing investigations.
When asked if the White House will comply with requests, Jean-Pierre said, “We’re not going to speculate on baseless accusations,” and then when asked the same question again, referred it on to the White House counsel.
When asked how President Biden has reacted to impeachment claims, Jean-Pierre did not comment.