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Napoleon is reported to have said, “When the enemy is making a false move, great care must be taken not to disturb him.” Or, as we often suggest today, never interfere when your enemy is trying to destroy himself. (We also learned from Quote Investigator that Woodrow Wilson repeated the quote more aggressively in the modern version. It’s up to you to click to see.)
House Republicans have vowed to investigate alleged misconduct by President Biden, who took office in late 2022. They have spent 15 months since then engaged in a process that is probably not disastrous, but has turned out to be disgraceful. They launched a series of heated, debunked, or outright humiliating accusations against Biden and his family as part of an investigation that did little more than exonerate the president for their own claims. I’ve been there.
The leaders of the Republican caucus are wondering how to get out of the hole they’ve dug and how to respond to the massive demands for punishment that they’ve built up over time in the right-wing media, without forcing them. It’s obvious that he’s trying. Their colleagues cast votes that can come back to bite them.
Last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) floated the idea of extraditing in a conversation with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. I can see the appeal. This allows Mr. Comer to act as if his efforts have resulted in something significant, while placing the burden of moving forward on a Justice Department that clearly does nothing. Based on the weak evidence at hand, its 15 months of accomplishments, and countless subpoenas, nothing should be done, but it’s easy for Republicans to spin this.
In other words, the Republican Party began its sham in January 2023, when defeat was imminent and morale was low. Nevertheless, on Friday morning, the White House decided to intervene and thwart them.
White House Counsel Edward Siskel sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) urging him to end the formal impeachment inquiry. The study was announced by Johnson’s predecessor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Although they fought to maintain their caucus support, the investigation failed to provide Republicans with new ammunition against Biden.
“Clearly it’s time to move on, Mr. Speaker,” Siskel wrote after describing various times when Republican witnesses directly undermined his case. “This impeachment is over. The American people have too much important work to do to continue wasting their time on this farce.”
Of course he’s not wrong. There are many other things that the House could do, but it is not really going to do that. And the impeachment effort as constituted is over.
But the leaders of the investigation, Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have little incentive to back down and press on. Why not? Jordan certainly remembers that in 2015, the Republican investigation into the Benghazi terrorist attack happened to fall on a more fruitful line of attack against Hillary Clinton. No one knows which hearings or depositions will reveal the factors that will push Biden into a corner. At least moving forward means you don’t have to admit there’s no reason to do so.
And now they can make a new claim: “The White House is scared!” If the administration isn’t concerned about their progress, why would Mr. Siskel write this letter? This, combined with Hunter Biden’s refusal to request a hearing next week, presents Republicans with a new point of friction in the Fox News interview. New energy is injected into something that has been declining. In fact, the White House letter makes it difficult for Mr. Johnson to pull the plug, as he wants to avoid at all costs looking like he is complying with Mr. Biden’s demands.
From an administrative point of view, there is some value in filing this letter. The book sets out the rebuttal to the impeachment inquiry in clear terms, including a long list of witness testimony that undermines the central argument, as well as other (but not all) mistakes by Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan. is presented concisely.
But the impetus for the investigation is not broad public opinion clouded by House Republican arguments. Its driving force is a bubble of right-wing rhetoric and conservative media in which Biden is viewed as clearly corrupt and any claims to that effect are necessarily accepted as legitimate. The investigation persists because Republicans have not yet decided how to save face in the event of an exit. The White House letter gives them a new reason to fight.
There is another… maxims in politics, if not war, may have inspired the White House: When your opponent is drowning, give him the anvil. Siskel’s letter is certainly not a life preserver, but at least it’s a slowly leaking float. It will probably take more time for investigations to become widespread.
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