‘I’ve been so busy’: Speaker Johnson says no time to assess Biden impeachment evidence

Exactly three months ago, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson moved his predecessor's impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden into a full-blown, authorized impeachment investigation. He's not quite sure yet if there's enough evidence to actually impeach the President.

Democrats have repeatedly made the case President Joe Biden has committed no impeachable offenses, which was reinforced when Republicans' latest star witness was indicted for lying to the FBI about the very evidence he provided, evidence Republicans based their impeachment investigation 0n.

At least two Republican House committees have been planning the investigation into President Biden, his son Hunter, and other family members since November of 2022. When Republicans officially took control of the House in January of 2023, they began their work. Then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy announced an impeachment inquiry, without a House vote, later that year, on September 12. On December 13, 2023, under Speaker Johnson, the House officially voted to formally authorize the current three-committee impeachment inquiry, "despite lack of evidence," as Reuters reported.

So after 15 months of investigations, is there enough evidence to impeach President Biden?

That is the question PBS NewsHour's Lisa Desjardins asked Speaker Johnson directly, on Wednesday.

Specifically, Desjardins reports, she asked Johnson if he "thinks there is enough evidence to impeach" President Biden.

Johnson says he hasn't had the time to figure it out.

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“'I have not been able to take the time to do a deep dive' into the evidence," Johnson replied.

Punchbowl News' Max Cohen adds: "Amid confusion over the path forward for the Biden impeachment inquiry, Johnson won’t commit to me whether the House will vote on impeachment this Congress."

The Speaker "says [committees] still waiting on some documents," Cohen reports, noting Johnson said: “You've seen a very, very slow, deliberative investigative process.”

"Johnson," Cohen continues, "in a transparent impeachment admission, says 'because I've been so busy with all my other responsibilities, I haven’t been able to take the time to do the deep dive in the evidence.'"

Punchbowl News called it, "a pretty startling revelation from the top House Republican,” according to a report from Political Wire.

Democrats pounced on Johnson's remarks.

"Republicans' sham impeachment has uncovered an extensive body of exculpatory evidence that definitively disproves their lies about the President," wrote Joseph Costello, press secretary for the House Democrats on Chairman Jim Comer's Oversight Committee. "So it is indeed 'alarming' that House Republicans would spend millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to promote debunked lies."

Ian Mariani, communications director to U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), said, "Mike Johnson breaking up with his party’s own sham impeachment with the classic 'I’m just…like…really busy right now.'"

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