McCarthy announces formal Biden impeachment inquiry

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday approved an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, even as GOP senators warn against the measure.

"I did not make this decision lightly," McCarthy said when he made an announcement at the U.S. Capitol about his support for an inquiry.

"Through our investigations, we have found that President Biden did lie to the American people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings," McCarthy also said. "Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his sons and his son's business partners."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., are expected to lay out their findings from their panels' investigations into the Biden family during Thursday's House Republican Conference meeting, according to multiple media reports.

McCarthy was expected to call an impeachment inquiry the "logical next step" in the Republican-led House. The impeachment process starts with an inquiry, where evidence is gathered for impeachment charges to be brought against an official.

A formal impeachment inquiry must be opened through a House vote, and it is unclear whether it has enough support to pass, as several House Republicans have expressed skepticism about it.

Additionally, Senate Republicans are warning the House against pursuing an impeachment inquiry ahead of the 2024 election, when they could focus instead on vital issues such as the economy and the border. Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has dismissed calls for impeachment and Senate Republicans are doubtful he will even take up a measure if it passes the House.

"It really comes to how do you prioritize your time? I don’t know of anybody who believes Chuck Schumer will take it up and actually have a trial and convict a sitting president," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, according to "The Hill."

"All I can tell you, it’s unlikely to be successful in the Senate," Cornyn also said. "Rather than doing something they know is unlikely to end the way they would like, maybe they want to emphasize other things."

When asked whether there is enough evidence for Biden to be impeached, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., replied: "I do not."

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