McCarthy Completely Flip Flops On Need For Vote to Launch Impeachment Inquiry

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) contradicted his previous statements on the need for a “full vote of the House” to launch a presidential impeachment inquiry when he unilaterally directed GOP-led committees to proceed without one on Tuesday.

In September 2019, during the lead up to former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, then Minority Leader McCarthy tweeted, “Speaker Pelosi can’t decide on impeachment unilaterally. It requires a full vote of the House of Representatives.”

McCarthy doubled down on that position just two weeks ago, telling Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle, “To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives.

“That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person,” the speaker added.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks noted McCarthy’s consistency in his statement to Breitbart, but also highlighted the issue for McCarthy at the time:

There is no constitutional requirement to vote to authorize an inquiry. But not taking a vote would contradict McCarthy’s stance from 2019, when he urged Democrats to take a formal vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry into former President Trump.

Taking a full House vote would also aid McCarthy in showing full conference buy-in, as well as help boost the legal argument that impeachment could help Republicans produce more information from the Biden administration in court.

McCarthy could only afford to lose four House GOP votes in order to pass an impeachment inquiry on the House floor, which appeared unlikely as both moderate and conservative members have cast doubt on whether or not enough evidence of wrongdoing on behalf of President Joe Biden exists to merit such a move.