Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Thursday assailed far-right elements in his party over efforts to impeach President Joe Biden.
Steele’s comments followed a House vote Thursday to send a resolution to impeach Biden introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) the previous day to committee, which effectively paused a privileged motion that would have compelled a vote on the House floor, CNN reports.
Boebert’s resolution cites Biden’s handling of the southern border as the offense for which she believes the president should be impeached.
The impeachment effort on Wednesday led to a verbal exchange between Boebert and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who claims Boebert lifted her impeachment resolution.
“But they're not even fighting about impeaching Joe Biden, they're fighting about who's going to get the credit for the impeachment,” a laughing Steele said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight” that was guest hosted by Ali Velshi.
Velshi noted that Boebert’s resolution doesn’t fit what is traditionally considered an impeachable offense.
“You can hate everything that Democrats or Republicans think about anything, but this is not impeachment, for what we normally think impeachment is. They are, they want to impeach Joe Biden, because they don't think he managed the southern border properly,” Velshi said.
Steele replied that, “Impeachment implies that there was some type of malfeasance in office, some maybe criminal behavior, something that is so, so much of an agreed (upon) problem for, you know, constitutionally or otherwise, that that is the only recourse.”
“This is a policy dispute,” Steele added. “So put an immigration bill on the floor. You run the House for God's sake, you’ve been yapping your lips for how long about immigration and you can even produce a bill?"
Steele continued:
“Put a bill on the floor. That's what leaders and managers do when they're in the situation, take advantage of the not just perceived, but real weakness this administration has when it comes to the border and lay something on the table that will cleave off some center right Democrats in the House and certainly in the Senate.”
Steele said the impeachment chaos typifies why Republicans are making it easier for Democrats to control the White House.
“The administration knows the GOP’s got nothing, so they’ll weather the noise on impeachment, they’ll weather the noise such as it is about Hunter (Biden) and they’ll go out and keep talking to the country as jackhammers are hitting the ground, putting down new streets and roads and sidewalks.”
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