McCarthy held 'hostage' to impeachment demands by 'far-right nuts': Journalist

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is held "hostage in his own House" by the demands of "far-right nuts" as he tries to placate them with a rushed and evidence-free impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, wrote analyst Eleanor Clift for The Daily Beast on Tuesday.

"Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made his deal with the devil when he ceded sufficient clout to the rightest of the right-wing crazies to gain their votes after 15 humiliating ballots. That bill comes due now as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), the Queen of the Extremists, puts down her marker: She would not vote to fund the government without an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden," wrote Clift. "When MTG speaks, McCarthy listens. His job is to muster majorities for spending bills that will keep the government open beyond the Sept. 30 deadline. He has such a narrow margin that he can’t lose more than three or four votes, and MTG speaks for at least a dozen hardliners."

"So, he chose the path of least resistance, alleging without evidence that Biden is guilty of 'abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption' — charges that sound remarkably similar to what former President Donald Trump is contending with on the campaign trail, except the allegations against the former president are buttressed by 91 counts brought in four different jurisdictions. Conversely, the allegations against Biden for allegedly profiting from his son’s influence peddling are buttressed by no evidence — just smears and wishful thinking on the part of Republicans."

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McCarthy not only purportedly lacks evidence, but he also lacks the votes to actually pass articles of impeachment, according to reports. And McCarthy's investigation could be swiftly hamstrung by Justice Department guidelines against cooperating with certain impeachment inquiries that were, ironically, issued by former President Donald Trump's legal team.

The real problem with all this, continued Clift, is that the government is facing a shutdown in a matter of weeks if new funding is not passed, and the same hardliners demanding the House take up time with impeachment are also standing in the way of a deal.

"Government shutdowns are losers for the economy, for the American people, and for the party that bears the most blame for putting the world’s greatest democracy through what amounts to a shakedown," Clift concluded.