First, if you missed Sen. John Fetterman’s reaction to the news of the House impeachment inquiry, here it is.
Yesterday, Bess Levin wrote at Vanity Fair:
Earlier today, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that Republicans will move forward with an official impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, despite the embarrassing fact that, as House Freedom Caucus member Ken Buck told MSNBC on Sunday, they haven’t uncovered a single piece of evidence “linking President Biden to a high crime or misdemeanor.” Also deeply embarrassing? The tantrum Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is now having over not getting the credit she thinks she deserves for calling to impeach Biden first.
Greene—who commemorated 9/11 one day earlier by calling the president’s policies “traitorous” and suggesting states should secede—was apparently triggered by a post from Congressman Matt Gaetz, who wrote, “When @SpeakerMcCarthy makes his announcement in moments, remember that as I pushed him for weeks, [Fox News host Brian Kilmeade] said I was: ‘Speaking into the wind’ on impeachment. Turns out, the wind may be listening!”
That didn’t sit right with Greene, who has been absurdly calling for Biden’s impeachment since he took office in 2021—and she needed to make sure everyone knew that. Taking to the platform formerly known as Twitter, she responded: “Correction my friend. I introduced articles of impeachment against Joe Biden for his corrupt business dealings in Ukraine & China while he was Vice President on his very first day in office. You wouldn’t cosponsor those and I had to drag you kicking and screaming to get you to cosponsor my articles on the border. Who’s really been making the push?”
Yes, it’s always fun when our elected representatives act like preschoolers. Last night Chris Hayes commented on Matt Gaetz, “That guy’s bark to bite ratio is like ten thousand to one.” Greene, too. But how’s it going to work when these people are banging all their pots and pans about their impeachment inquiry while failing to meet the end-of-September appropriations deadline? At some point one would think that even their own voters might notice what wastes of space they are. But I guess there are people who cannot be underestimated, or there would be no Trump supporters.
I understand it’s significant that McCarthy announced the inquiry without taking a vote. It’s likely he wouldn’t have gotten the votes. The entire point of the exercise is to take up space in the news cycles and allow House Freedom Caucus members to publicize insinuations and suspicious about President Biden to hurt his re-election chances. It’s also to please Supreme Leader Trump, who has been pushing the impeachment with House members.
Televised impeachment hearings could also act as counterprogramming to the initial Fulton County, Georgia, RICO trial expected to begin on October 23. However, given the embarrassing mess the Hunter Biden House investigations have been so far, televised House hearings may not have the effect the Freedom Caucus intends.
Most Senate Republicans admit there is no evidence linking President Biden to corruption, and they’d rather the House got serious and passed appropriations bills. Because most Senate Republicans, with a few exceptions, understand that what the House Freedom Caucus is doing is political poison .
But the FCs have already let it be known that getting an impeachment inquiry does not change their nutjob demands for the appropriations bills. Maybe Kevin McCarthy will keep his job — why he wants it is beyond me — but he’s gotten nowhere with trying to keep the problem children from playing with matches.
In other news: Mitt Romney won’t seek another term as senator. Do the Dems have a plausible candidate to run for his seat?
In more other news: Lauren Boebert and date were booted from a theater during a performance of the musical Beetlejuice.
Brian Kitts, director of marketing and communications for Denver Arts and Venues, said the patrons were talking loudly, vaping and using cameras during the performance. They were warned during an intermission, but the behavior continued into the second act, at which point the two were asked to leave.
As they were being escorted from the property, the two people said “stuff like ‘do you know who I am,’ ‘I am on the board,’ (and) ‘I will be contacting the mayor,’” according to a security incident report obtained by The Sun from the city through an open records request.
The incident report said there were “multiple complaints” about the two people during the performance.
No class.
Update: At Pollitico, A House GOP attempt to advance abortion measure backfires in funding fight. The House is a bleeping mess.