Wyoming congressional delegation backs House impeachment inquiry against Biden
Wyoming's congressional delegation uniformly backed the U.S. House's opening of an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden on Tuesday, hailing the investigation of possible wrongdoing as a means to provide transparency.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced Tuesday that the House plans to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden. This doesn't necessarily mean that the House will move to actually try to impeach the president. The inquiry could be closed without any charges. The House would also have to vote to approve any impeachment charges against Biden, if the process gets to that point.
The impeachment inquiry was sparked primarily by allegations against Biden that say he and his son wrongfully profited from overseas business dealings. This stems from claims that, while serving as vice president, Biden pressured Ukraine's government to fire a top prosecutor to stop an investigation into Burisma — a Ukrainian energy company where Biden's son Hunter sat on the board — in exchange for bribes from a Burisma official, according to reports.
The unverified allegation that Biden and his son accepted bribes from Burisma has been challenged by other evidence: The Ukrainian businessman who was alleged to have been involved said that a bribe didn't occur, according to the New York Times.
Other investigations, including by the U.S. Department of Justice, into the allegations related to the impeachment inquiry haven't led to any criminal charges.
Wyoming's Rep. Harriet Hageman said in a statement on Tuesday that an impeachment inquiry "is a serious undertaking and there are serious reasons why we are doing this." Hageman lauded the inquiry as a means to "gather all the facts and have a clear picture of the Biden family corruption operation..."
"I commend Speaker McCarthy for his leadership on this important issue, and for his decision move forward with the inquiry," she said. "As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I look forward to being heavily involved throughout the entire process."
Wyoming's Sen. John Barrasso, who is up for reelection next year, also said that he thinks the "House is headed in the right direction."
“The House of Representatives has done an excellent job trying to uncover the tangled web of corruption that we've seen coming out of the Biden administration and specifically the Biden family," he said on Tuesday in an emailed statement to the Star-Tribune. "Clearly there are facts that need further investigation."
Wyoming's Sen. Cynthia Lummis said in an emailed statement to the Star-Tribune on Tuesday that it's "clear" to her that House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who will lead the inquiry, has "gathered sufficient evidence of wrongdoing by the President in recommending the opening of the impeachment inquiry." (McCarthy, the House speaker, directed Comer to work alongside House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., on the impeachment inquiry.)
"I have confidence that Chairmen Comer, Jordan and Smith will conduct a thoughtful investigation to ensure transparency and accountability for the American people,” Lummis said.
Both Barrasso and Lummis opposed efforts to impeach former president Donald Trump in 2021 following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. capitol. Barrasso also voted against impeaching Trump in 2019 after the former president asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Biden — his presidential opponent — and Biden's son in exchange for U.S. military aid. Trump also asked Zelenskyy to say that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. election. (Lummis was not a senator at the time.) The Senate acquitted Trump both times.
Neither Barrasso nor Lummis offered an explanation when asked by the Star-Tribune why, in this situation, they support the impeachment inquiry into Biden when they opposed efforts to impeach Trump. The circumstances surrounding these various efforts are notably different, from the allegations to the timing.