The House headed off an attempt to impeach President Biden on Thursday while Republican leaders still appeased their hardcore members who forced the vote. The chamber voted 219-208 to refer two articles of impeachment to committees that have already begun investigating the administration, Politico reports. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who forced the issue to a quick vote, reveled in the result, though the committees have no obligation to act on the articles. "For the first time in 24 years, a House Republican-lead majority is moving forward with impeachment proceedings against a current president," Boebert said Thursday.
Many Republicans were not pleased at having to vote on the issue, per the New York Times. Rep. Garret Graves voted yes but said that doesn't mean he supports Boebert's goal. "Impeachment is one of the most awesome powers that Congress has to exercise," he said. "It's not anything that should be used flippantly, especially in just two days. That's crazy." Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has said there's no case for ousting Biden, lobbied against impeachment. The fact that the Colorado Republican was able to force a vote anyway demonstrates again the speaker's lack of control over his membership, per the AP.
Democrats attacked Republicans over the issue. "They can try to impeach Joe Biden all they want," said Rep. Jim McGovern, "but all they are doing is impeaching themselves and making a mockery of this place." Boebert's measure argues that Biden's immigration policies constitute high crimes and misdemeanors and that his lax border policies facilitated an "invasion" of the US—wording that surfaces in extremists' replacement theory. (The vote comes a day after the GOP-led House censured Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.)
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