Speaker Kevin McCarthy has ordered an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, putting into motion the third formal attempt by Congress to remove a president in the past four years.
Luke Broadwater, a congressional reporter for The Times, explains the unique realities behind this one.
Guest: Luke Broadwater, a congressional reporter for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Mr. McCarthy, who formerly argued that the House must vote before opening an impeachment inquiry, changed his tune this week.
- What we know about the impeachment case against Mr. Biden.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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From your times I, like old barn,
is the day the speaker of the house has ordered an impeachment inquiry into president bite.
into motion. The third formal attempt by congo
to remove a president in the past four years today I spoke at my calling
I bought one about the unique realities behind this one. It's Friday september, fifteenth.
Look, I went to walk us through this news conference a few days ago in which speaker, Kevin Mccarthy, explains this pretty momentous decision to open an impeachment going right, while the house had just come back from a long august recess and was about to dabble in to start its september session and Kevin Mccarthy calls
snap and news conference outside of the speakers office. What we call the small rotunda at the capital and he walks out, walked back everyone he
sets somewhat of a somber tone. Here, a month
there we were gone in the weeks house. Republicans have uncovered serious incredible allegations into president by
conduct and he begins to lay out why he believes there needs to be an impeachment inquiry into president Biden. Now, here's what we know so far through our investigations. We have found the president Biden did
why the american people about his own knowledge of his family's foreign business dealings. The first thing he says is that president Biden lied about his son hunter biplanes business dealings. There is evidence that president Biden made at least one very poor.
false statement, and that other times he oversimplified or may be made misstatements when describing
Business interactions. Eye witnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interact.
Since we know, but then he makes a series of allegations about conduct that hunter Biden engaged in an attempt to link it to president by them, and he doesn't in a way that is not really back
try to date by any hard or concrete evidence, and that really is the link that has been missing so far for the house. Republicans who, through their various committees for months now, have of course been investigating president Biden and his family I'll. Give you one real quick example:
Dinner's resulted in cars and millions of dollars into a sons and his sons, business partners, it mccarthy speech. He suggests that Biden is responsible
getting his son millions of dollars and fancy cars, and things like that, and you know the hunter by indeed get expense
gifts and millions of dollars from overseas business interests, and one that will Mccarthy's alleging elbow republicans have yet to prove is that it was Joe Biden intervention that caused those things to happen. All they have uncovered so far is that on occasion
Joe Biden exchanged niceties with business associates of his son, things like chatting about the weather or a handshake. They have not produced any concrete evidence that he was directly involved.
And any of these business activities himself. But that's the type of thing. The republic is our dig again to try to prove that's. Why? Today, I am directing our house committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into president Joe Biden. He makes clear that he believes
are allegations that they are not proven that there is no a meat
pending impeachment, but that he believes an impeachment. Investigate
It is necessary to get to the bottom of them. We are coming
to getting the answers for the american public, nothing more, nothing less. We will go wherever the evidence takes. Us
Thank you very much. So in some way
The is laying out actual evidence of misstatements that
president Biden has made, while president, perhaps no
we perhaps unknowingly about his son,
hunters. Business dealings and mccarthy is pairing that with allegations for which there is
not really much evidence that bind was directly involved in those deals back when he
as vice president or afterward. So at the heart of this is essentially the claim that before Biden was president, he acted in a corrupt manner. That's exactly right! Most of the allegations
damn from a period of time when Joe Biden was vice president, although they are
alleging or so that, once he becomes president
administration is engage
I m sort of turning a blind eye to these allegations and not invested
in full, lay the case against hunter by them.
Basically that there is a kind of cover up. Yes, they do a legit cover up without a ton of evidence, but they allege a cover up to just to be clear. No new bombshell evidence implicating president Biden
Just been revealed. No single smoking gun that explains mccarthy's decision made everything
is laid out here that we're talking about is familiar and yet it never before merited an impeachment inquiry. That's right and in fact the vast majority of the republican case against Biden has
thus there, for years I mean centre, republicans did a lengthy report in twenty two,
that has the majority of these allegations in it.
have added some new facts and some new evidence in the past year, but it's not something
Fundamentally, change is the nature of the case. So if there's not super damning, you evidence luke, help us understand the timing of this. We have known, of course, that republicans have wanted to impeach present binding pretty much since the moment he took office, but why right now why this week short note year you're exactly right from day one of Biden's presidency, some members of congress have started introducing articles at impeachment against him. They one to impeach him over the situation at the border they wanted to him.
Jim over the financial crisis they wanted to impeach him over. The withdraw from Afghanistan is that there are a number of reasons why they have gone after bided from the start, and so for most of that time, Kevin Mccarthy has tried to hold off the right wing.
His party. He says there should be no impeachment for political reasons. He shoved republicans should be above that they should follow a process where evidences gathered
he's also repeatedly maintained that no impeachment inquiry should be opened without a vote of the full house that should have the support of the majority of the body before any impeachment inquiry has ever undertaken, but there's a couple of things you'd understand one kevin mccarthyism.
clinging to the speakership by the thinnest of margins. Remember he only became speaker after making a ton of concessions to the hard right, and one of those concessions was agreeing
that any one member at any time, if they were dissatisfied with Kevin Mccarthy, could call a vote to remove him
and on top of that remember when we were barreling toward default on,
debt and in order to avoid that mccarthy cut spending deal with the white house. Yes, I do well the hardware
remains really mad at him? For that and we are
a period now or mccarthy to make good on that deal and fund the government by the deadline on September thirtieth and the hard right is saying no way were now
voting for those bills and they're telling mccarthy the only way he gets their votes and avoids a government shut down is to make some concessions, and one of those concessions is impeaching. President Biden, so these hard right how
organs are explicitly saying to the speaker over whom they have a tremendous amount of leverage given their slim majority. We are angry about
the spending deal. You struck with Joe Biden. We don't like it
but you should know that if you want us to support that kind of a budget, you need to go after Joe Biden with something like impeachment. Yes, that's exactly right. Some of them have made that
very explicit and said. An impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden was necessary.
For their vote to keep the government open ha, and so those are the real dynamic that play and the great pressure on cabin mccarthy. But I think the thing that really tested over the edge is the actions of congress and met gates of florida,
Matt gates, let it be known that, as soon as the house is back in session, he plans to give a blistering floor speech against Kevin Mccarthy in which he is going to demand
have a mccarthy come into compliance with the far right or face removal from the speakership
clear that one of the demands gates is planning to make. Is that
Mccarthy get a lot tougher on president by then and is
The hunter, and the clear implication here is that Mccarthy, better get going with impeachment
or he's gonna face some real consequences.
So there is now a very direct, imminent and specific public threat from Matt gates against
Are these future as speaker unless
He immediately complies with this request to open and impeachment inquiry. That's correct, and so Kevin Mccarthy is faced with this choice. Either he can keep
Opposition is held for a long time that impeachment.
We should only be opened with a fool out of the house. At present. He lacks the votes. To do that, all note or he can change his position
you have been to markets is demand
and unilaterally order the impeachment inquiry and looking at the best way he can try to stay speaker and cling to his speakership. He makes what I think a lot of republicans believe was the only choice he could make politically and that is to go ahead change. His position, reverse his previous statements and order. An impeachment inquiry to in some ways keep his job right and we know
we. What happens next Mccarthy comes out, delivers this speech announcing that he's going to open this impeachment inquiry does exactly what he knows. Congressmen gates wants it to do.
Yes, sir Mccarthy gets ahead of gates key position.
Himself, as the aggressive actor against press,
Biden, which is always a good position to be in. If you want to appeal to the far right of the republican party, but mac aids doesn't back down. I rise today to serve notice. Mr speaker, you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role. He gives the floor speech anyway. The path forward for the house of representatives is to either bring you into immediate total compliance or remove you pursuant to a motion.
to vacate the chair and he proceeds to lay out it's all the ways Kevin Mccarthy is failing at speaker, but here we are eight months later and we haven't, even since the first subpoena two hundred Biden. That's how you know that the rushed and yo somewhat rattled performance you just saw from the speaker- is it real
at this point during does so he makes clear he was not satisfied with mccarthy speech. I know that washington is in a town where people are known for keeping their word. Will speaker, Mccarthy, I'm here hold you to yours, so this must have been pretty disappointing.
mccarthy, because his call for the impeachment inquiry gates gives this
searing speech anyway, while if you look at it from mccarthy's point of yo, he thinks he won the day. If you look at all the headlines in the news coverage, it's all about cap mccarthy getting tough with,
I m him moving forward this impeachment, and that is for someone who has to govern the republican party
house and the far right, that's a good day for cover mccarthy, when he looks tough on Biden,
and there is almost no headlines about Matt gates calling for his removal, which in
an alternate scenario. Could have been the news of the day, which would have been the far right pressures, mccarthy calls for him to step down right,
and looked suffice it to say this is not the normal course by which an impeachment ankle
This really great historic decision is opened as basically job security,
save your job as house speaker. Well, it's not just about job security. Remember he's also doing this to try to avoid a government
Down coming, mccarthy is very interested in making sure it seen that republicans can operate a phone
in government and not plunge the country,
in the chaos and so
Mccarthy may have won the day and he may have staved off the hard right detractors for some time
now he's stuck with a unilateral impeachment inquiry, which is something that he never want to do. In the first place.
Now he has to live with that and all the complicated implications that go along with it,
ooh
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ash careers hi, I'm megan laura from the director of photography at the new york times.
What can do a lot of different things? It can connect us. It can bring us to places we ve never been before it can
actually a story in a universal visual language. But one thing that all these photographs have in common is that you know they don't just come out of the ether. We spend a lot of time, anticipating news stories working with the best photographers across the globe. These are photographers who have spent years mastering their technical craft developing their skills as visual chroniclers of our world. You know getting certified as a scuba, diver and learning how to shoot underwater or to document finite change or tremendous cardiovascular training in order to ski on the slopes next to the limp athletes. This is an effort that takes tons of time and consideration and resources. All of this is possible only because of new york times subscribers, if you're not a subscriber. Yet you can become one at an why times, dot com slash subscribe. So what will the
burning of this impeachment inquiry that speaker mccarthyism.
Stuck with due and mean exactly people like markets have wanted this. But precisely, why did they want what powers in their minds? Does it give house republicans looking into Biden that they didn't already have well for.
Finally, it doesn't actually change all that much. You already have three congressional committees investigating president Biden, administration and president balanced.
I'm way they already have subpoena power but com
Where's derives its authority from the fact that its part of the legislative process, as our traditional congressional
vast negation really only as valid in the eyes of the courts in the eyes of the law, if there actually engaged in some attempt at legislate,
rewriting ball, changing a statue introducing new legislation right
if a committee or committees embark on an impeachment inquiry, they no longer have to come up with legislative reasons for what they are doing. They don't have to try
pretend there really rewriting the ethics code right. They can simply
a word demanding these documents, because we are investigating whether or not the president committed high crime
is your misdemeanor scott, and so it gives them. They believe. A better argument in court should some other actions get challenged by the
I administration gotta get up until now. They have it for being honest needed too
and your factual legislative reason to look into
hunter Biden and Joe biden- perhaps they would argue, we want to strengthen influence peddling laws. So that's why we're looking into hundred Biden and Joe Biden, but
in reality that's not quite what they were doing and now that they have an impeachment inquiry. They dont need such an
use and they will have greater legal footing for a really aggressive investigation into both. That's correct got an I'm curious.
more these committees running into any.
Legal limitation in there.
Thing investigations of hunter and Joe Biden, or was this just house republicans anticipating that they might run into these problems? Yeah it's very much. The latter republic has have not faced a ton of fight from the bite and white house or from banks, as they
in trying to get these records tat james column or who is the chairman of the oversight committee said in the past six months, every single subpoena he has sent out has been complied with. One hundred percent so
Oh, it's not because they ve been encountering resistance to date. Is that
I believe they will encounter resistance and want to have their strongest argument for demanding their records that they are about to demand
so you're saying, opening and impeachment great doesn't fundamentally change these investigations. It gives republicans more legal confidence in the investigations, but
worse impeachment as another very clear advantage for house republicans, which is political bow apps
Thirdly, it serves a number of purposes for cover Mccarthy one. It helps them politically on the hill. It helps stave off those hard right. Republicans have been calling for his head to. It helps settle a political score. There are a lot of republicans on the hill who still are better about the impeachment of donald trump, particularly the first impeachment, which they argue
had thin evidence. That was the impeachment, of course, where Donald trump was on a phone call with the leader of ukraine,
the allegations that he was shaking him down to try to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and withholding aid because of
right and we should say, dig up dared not just on Joe Biden but on Joe Biden, son hunter and men
the things that republicans are now trying to look into the s. Time is a flat circle. It is
coming back around again, but there still better over that and they ve been looking too,
act, revenge on Joe Biden and the Democrats because of the impeachment of donald trump. Three common mccarthy believes its effective politically, because you know, Donald trump is facing
for criminal indictments, ninety one felony counts on a range of various
serious allegations against his conduct, while he was president and even before,
as president and their hoping that an end
each man. Inquiry will muddy the waters in the mind
voters and create the impression that
I don't know whose more corrupt right between
Joe Biden and donald trump, and so I
For me to say as a voter and then the fourth thing- and I think this is what they're holding out hope for- is that as they dig deeper into Joe Biden.
as they dig deeper into hunter binders. They turn over more and more stones that eventually, they may in fact find that smoking gun which, to date they have now right and so they're are holding out that if they,
keep digging. Eventually they might get that really damning piece of evidence won't do that
let's talk about where this all now leads or doesn't leave this impeachment inquiry, given the nature of
and in future, an inquiry and the realities of his very narrow house republican majority. Well, functional lay for the hill impeachment inquiry can become an all encompassing exercise, can suck all the air out of the room of anything
this congress might want to do and it will become the focus of
a lot of media attention and a lot of the work that law makers are doing so it will have an intense effect.
On the operations of the hill. As long as the impeachment inquiry lass
politically, though, there are quite a few republicans who are dreading, bringing this to a vote
Yeah I mean just as evidence of that cover mccarthy does not have the votes right now, even among republicans to even open and impeachment inquiry. If he put this to a floor vote therein
Quite a few republicans on the hill who say we haven't
any hard evidence. Everything we ve seen is
innuendo and circumstantial evidence and work
willing to impeach without something concrete answer:
in order to try to convince his full membership to go along with this, he's got to produce better and stronger evidence against the president. Right now they are fourteen republicans, who represent districts that work
one by president Biden and forcing those republicans to vote to impeach the president, who won their districts and his popular with their voters,
in some people's do that's a recipe for losing the house is a recipe
a very unpopular vote for these Republicans, and in fact I was talking to democrats on they held just yesterday, who believed that this peace, when inquiry will help them with moderate voters. They think that
moderate voters, look at the house and they see republicans clamouring for both a shut down and political impeachment peach president that that only benefits them in turn.
Twenty four so bottom line, what you're saying is actual
we're getting to a point where house republicans would vote to impeach. President Biden is pretty unpopular.
among republicans, particularly the moderate ones trying to hold onto their seats and they think might actually benefit.
Guess so. Doesnt seem like there's a whole lot of enthusiasm for
being anything other than a gesture to appease the mat gates of the world right and so time will tell on that is just an investigation that spends its wheels forever and never leads to an actual impeachment vote. It could be, but there's also a belief on the hell that launching an mp
an inquiry is a bit like jumping out of a plain once a year in the air, you're gonna hit the ground that at some point,
give investigated enough. You have to call for the vote and you'll have to force this to vote on,
The republicans in the house to see up or down
they going to move to impeach president Biden right, an enemy
case. They may need to do something that they know in
a lot of political damage on themselves right in a lot of republicans, will tell you when they looked back at the first trumpet
each man. They believe that they did well when the Democrats moved against trouble in the first impeachment politically and they don't want
to see the same thing happened to them in this house. Will do that point? Look I want to end by asking you to refer
on the reality that we are now in during our third impeachment process. In just a few years, this one weirdly enough
hardly back to some of the same circumstances as the first impeachment of present trump ponder Biden, Joe Biden, ukraine, and despite very real differences between these impeach
Hence it does feel like we are living in a world where impeachment is now viewed much more than
think we ever imagined? It would be as an ever
a tool of political life. The s I think, that's very much the case. It used to be that impeach words reserved only for the rarest of circumstances and in this congress we ve seen various republic has seven
just articles of impeachment against five different members of the binding administration, the homeland security secretary, the
ernie, general up and down the line, and we ve long ago, I think, left the idea that you had to prove a high crime to start
impeachment inquiry, and we are now in the phase of the
Each man inquiry has enough political battle
on its own, so might as well go ahead and do it. Thank you very much. Thank you.
on thursday federal prosecutors charged hunter by with lying about his drug use when he purchased a handgun in twenty eighteen
for a legally possessing the weapon after
a plea involving those charges collapsed. The charges do not implicate president Biden,
whose administration rolled out what the times described as of law.
who planned strategy for defending itself against the house. Impeachment inquiry as part of that strategy
white house officials and their allies dismissed the
allegations against the president as baseless and debunked attacked house republic
four distorting the evidence and pushed the news media to free
the entire conflict on the president's terms as a naked act of political partisanship.
hmm
the
I'll be right back.
Here's. What else you need to know the answers
evening with their latest contracts set to expire at midnight men
of the nation's largest union of autoworkers were preparing to me.
in a strike today against the three detroit automakers ford
general motors and still antics.
The union said that the strike would likely begin with limited walkouts at specific, auto plants in an attempt
disrupt carmakers production, while still allowing most workers to keep collecting a paycheck.
Negotiations between the union and the car makers have made little progress. The union has demanded forty percent pay increases, arguing that the
for the automakers makers. Seals has risen by the same amount over the past few years,
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Transcript generated on 2023-09-17.