McCarthy Threatens to Open Garland Impeachment Inquiry

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has upped the ante in Republicans' allegations that the Justice Department is making prosecutorial decisions based on politics, suggesting that Attorney General Merrick Garland could face an impeachment inquiry. In a tweet, McCarthy tied the threat to IRS whistleblowers' contentions that a tax crime investigation included preferential treatment for President Biden's son Hunter. "If the whistleblowers' allegations are true, this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland's weaponization of DOJ," the speaker posted, the Hill reports.

That's more enthusiasm than McCarthy—who said something similar Monday on Fox News, per CNN—had shown for fellow Republicans' interest in trying to impeach President Biden or Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Hill points out. Any impeachment efforts would not be political, the speaker has said. Garland didn't respond publicly to McCarthy's statement, but a White House official did, per the Hill. "Perhaps Congressional Republicans are desperate to distract from their own plan to give even more tax cuts to the wealthy and big corporations," Ian Sams, an oversight and investigations spokesperson, said in a statement. (More Kevin McCarthy stories.)