House Republicans appear to be losing in the court of opinion when it comes to their impeachment effort against President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Polls show that across the political spectrum, fewer Americans say the president was involved in his son's business dealings. A Harvard CAPS/Harris survey in March found that 56 percent said that Biden "helped and participated in Hunter Biden's business," a 3 percent decrease from February's survey.
The downtick was seen among all voters, with the greatest change being with Republicans. Between February's and March's polls, 5 percent of GOP voters switched to the position that Biden did not participate in his son's business dealings. In the March survey, 23 percent of Republicans agreed with that sentiment, compared with 63 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of independents.
House Republicans appear to be taking note. Representative James Comer, who chairs the Oversight Committee, which has been leading the investigation into the Biden family, has recently shifted away from any prospects of impeaching the president.
After last week's impeachment hearing, Comer told Newsmax that while he would vote to impeach Biden, "the best path to accountability is criminal referrals," suggesting he would lay the groundwork for a future Donald Trump Justice Department to pursue such referrals instead of trying to impeach Biden now. Then, on Monday, the Kentucky Republican's campaign sent out a fundraising email bolstering the idea of backing away from an impeachment effort.
Pointing to the likely demise of the GOP's articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Comer's campaign asked supporters, "What do you think they would do if we Impeached Biden?"
The email went on: "That's why I am preparing criminal referrals as the culmination of my investigation. When President Trump returns to the White House, it's critical the new leadership at the DOJ have everything they need to prosecute the Biden Crime Family and deliver swift justice."
Newsweek reached out to Comer via email for further comment.
It's not only the American public that has turned against the idea of impeaching Biden. Comer's colleagues in the House GOP have soured on the prospect as well. Several Republican lawmakers have spoken out against an impeachment vote, warning that the party should focus on other matters in an election year.
"The question of whether there is enough evidence is probably secondary to whether it's wise at this time," Republican Representative Nick LaLota told Axios last week. "With a presidential election right around the corner, it seems best that the voters decide the legal fates of both the major party candidates."
GOP Representative Ryan Zinke said, "Until they have a convincing argument, then no.... On impeachment, no shots in the dark."
Americans also appear to be changing their mind about the criminal charges against Hunter Biden. In March's poll, 73 percent of respondents said they believe he's guilty, compared with 74 percent in February.
The slight decrease was largely driven by Republicans. Independents remained unchanged in their views on Hunter's tax evasion charges, while 1 percent of Democrats switched from saying he is guilty to not guilty. Three percent of Republicans made the same shift.
The March poll was conducted between March 20 and 21 among 2,111 registered voters.
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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
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