Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, signaled that she isn't ready to impeach President Joe Biden, telling Newsweek that her "focus" is on the Senate impeachment trial of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Greene, an ally of former President Donald Trump and a vocal critic of Biden, has been calling for the president to be impeached.
Two days ago, Greene wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Yes the House can impeach Biden. The American People are way ahead of Congress and there are MANY reasons to do it. From Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Trump and his political enemies to corrupt Biden Inc family business with foreign countries to the open border."
When asked if she thinks it's time to impeach Biden now that Mayorkas has been impeached, she told Newsweek on Wednesday: "I serve on the Oversight Committee, and we've got to finish our investigation there. We still have several more depositions to do. James Biden and Hunter Biden are coming in, and then we'll complete our investigation."
The House Oversight Committee has led an impeachment inquiry into Biden's alleged involvement in son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. House Republicans claim that the president benefited from his son's dealings, while Biden, who denied any wrongdoing, has called the inquiry a "baseless political stunt."
The House on Tuesday impeached Mayorkas, Biden's secretary of homeland security, in a 214-213 vote over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border as a surge of illegal migrants flood into America.
Greene said the Oversight Committee will be "hearing what they have to say in those depositions" of the president's son Hunter and brother James.
"But right now our focus is...I'm serving as an impeachment manager over in the Senate, so hopefully they'll be willing to take up the trial," she said.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email for comment on Friday.
After the House vote on Tuesday, DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said: "Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country."
There needs to be a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict Mayorkas.
Meanwhile, Biden's impeachment inquiry hit a snag after an FBI informant, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly making false statements and manufacturing false records concerning Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine.
Hunter Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, slammed House Republicans who "built their conspiracies about Hunter and his family on lies told by people with agendas, not facts" in a statement to NBC News.
"This is just another instance of Chairman [James] Comer and [Representative Jim] Jordan peddling falsehoods based on dishonest, uncredible allegations and witnesses," Lowell said.
Greene questioned the indictment of Smirnov on Thursday in an X post: "The FBI had the FD1023 form since 2020 and FBI Director Chris Wray told us that the informant was their top-paid most credible informant and now all of a sudden David Weiss arrests him and is pressing charges??? What changed other than a successful impeachment in the House?"
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
