Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said he supports the U.S. House of Representatives opening an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, but he has yet to see anything that would warrant the removal of the president from office.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday morning he would direct three House committee leaders to open an impeachment investigation into Biden’s family business dealings. McCarthy said the panel has found a “culture of corruption” around Biden’s son Hunter, the Associated Press reported.
Romney said such an investigation would not be without merit.
“The fact that the White House has been singularly silent and coddled Hunter Biden suggests an inquiry is not inappropriate,” Romney said Tuesday morning, according to HuffPost politics reporter Igor Bobic.
Romney, who twice voted to remove former President Donald Trump from office during his impeachment proceedings, urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives to be cautious as they move forward.
“There hasn’t been any allegation yet, any conduct which reaches the constitutional standard for impeachment,” Romney said, The Hill reported.
“Actual impeachment would require the evidence of a high crime or misdemeanor that has not been alleged,” Romney said, according to journalist Michael McAuliff. “But inquiring is something the President and the White House could have avoided but they’ve been pretty quiet.”
Sen. Mike Lee was more enthusiastic about moving forward with an impeachment investigation.
“Impeachment authority should not be taken lightly. It is a constitutional responsibility of Congress when a federal official has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. I commend Speaker McCarthy’s decision to open an impeachment inquiry for President Biden. The allegations of corruption are disturbing to all Americans and necessitate this course of action. The American people have a right to know the facts and deserve a comprehensive and thorough process to uncover them,” Lee said in a statement provided by his office.
According to The Hill, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman, the House Judiciary Committee chairman and the House Ways and Means Committee chair would lead the GOP’s investigation into the White House.
The House of Representatives must first vote to impeach Biden before any articles of impeachment can be sent to the Senate. At least one House representative from Utah is fully on board.
Last month, Rep. Burgess Owens told a St. Louis radio station that he supported moving forward with investigating Biden.
“We can educate the American people about just how corrupt this administration is. I’ve never seen anything like it. They’re shameless. They do everything wrong and think there’s no way they’re going to be caught,” Owens said.
Rep. John Curtis has been more cautious about discussing impeachment. Last month, during a speech at Utah Valley University, Curtis said that the House seemed to be heading toward impeachment.
“I am closely monitoring the formal inquiry Speaker McCarthy announced today and have the utmost confidence in the investigative tools Congress has at its disposal to help us determine the facts, Curtis said in a statement. “I am pleased that Congress will have the opportunity to examine the allegations against President Biden. At the same time, I am committed to legislating as well as oversight, both of which are important work that my colleagues and I have been sent to Washington to do.”
Rep. Blake Moore’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
