White House blasts "illegitimate" Biden impeachment inquiry as GOP weighs vote

 

The White House on Friday fired back at claims from House Republicans that the Biden administration has been "stonewalling" efforts to investigate the president and his son, Hunter.

Why it matters: House Republicans are weighing a formal vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry into Biden, which the White House called "illegitimate" and a "fishing expedition."

• "Claims of 'obstruction' and 'stonewalling' are easily refuted by the facts," White House spokesperson Ian Sams wrote in a memo released Friday.

By the numbers: House Republicans have had access to thousands of pages of records and hours of witness testimony, the memo said, including:

• More than 35,000 pages of private financial records;
• More than 2,000 pages of financial reports from the Treasury Department;
• At least 36 hours of witness interviews and testimony;
• Documents, "including highly sensitive materials," and witnesses from the FBI, Justice Department and National Archives.

What they're saying: "Not finding what they hoped to uncover is not evidence of 'obstruction,'" the memo said.

• "Despite receiving this significant volume of material, House Republicans have just failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden – but plenty of evidence debunking their claims."

Context: House Republicans may hold an official vote in the coming weeks to formally authorize their impeachment inquiry after then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy opened it in September without a vote.

• "The administration is not complying, and a vote would help to ensure they would do and give us better standing in the courts," Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said earlier this week.
• The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed Hunter Biden, the president's son, and James Biden, his brother, as part of the probe.
• Hunter Biden responded to a request seeking closed-door testimony by offering to testify publicly.