GOP moderates left squirming as McCarthy vows to 'expunge' Trump impeachments: report
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters Friday that he backs a proposed resolution that would "expunge" former President Donald Trump's two impeachments.
His announcement left many Republicans in more vulnerable districts squirming, reported CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju.
"This is a symbolic resolution that is being pushed by Elise Stefanik, who is a member of the House Republican leadership, and [Congresswoman] Marjorie Taylor Greene, she is a close Trump ally, a staunch conservative," said Raju. "They have put together this resolution what would call for the expungement of two of Trump's impeachments from the last Congress."
In the first impeachment, Trump was accused of abuse of power after it was reported he withheld congressionally-authorized security funds from Ukraine and tried to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Biden's family. In the second impeachment, he was charged with incitement to insurrection for his encouragement of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"In a key announcement just moments ago ... Kevin McCarthy told us that he does support this effort to expunge those Trump impeachments," said Raju. "Even though it is symbolic, it does not change the actual record of the impeachments happening, if it were to move forward, it could put some moderates in a more difficult spot.
"Some of them simply don't want to vote on this or take a position on backing Trump, particularly when it comes to January 6th. One of them, Don Bacon from Nebraska, from a district that Biden carried, said it sounds, quote, 'kind of weird to go down that route.'"
"Now, McCarthy would not promise to bring this to the floor, but said it would go through the House Judiciary Committee, and then they would make a decision," Raju added. "He also told me that, no, he had not spoken to Trump about this."
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