LEADER JEFFRIES: "THE ILLEGITIMATE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS A KANGAROO COURT, FISHING EXPEDITION AND CONSPIRACY THEATER ROLLED INTO ONE."
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar held a press conference as Extreme MAGA Republicans launch a baseless partisan impeachment inquiry against President Biden:
Leader Jeffries: Extreme MAGA Republicans have launched an illegitimate impeachment inquiry that is a kangaroo court, fishing expedition and conspiracy theater rolled into one. There is not a shred of evidence that President Joe Biden has engaged in wrongdoing. There is not a shred of evidence that President Joe Biden has committed an impeachable offense. There is not a shred of evidence that President Joe Biden has committed a crime. This is an illegitimate impeachment inquiry, period. Full stop. It's a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Extreme MAGA Republicans have no economic agenda. They have no housing agenda. They have no health care agenda. They have no education agenda. They have no public safety agenda. They have no agenda designed to address the needs of the American people. We were sent to Washington, D.C. to improve the quality of life of everyday Americans. The extreme MAGA Republicans are determined to illegitimately investigate the president as part of an ideological crusade that week after week after week continues to do nothing more than try and jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people. President Joe Biden is a good man. He's an honest man. He's a patriotic man. House Democrats will defend President Biden today. We will defend President Biden tomorrow. We will defend President Biden next week. We will defend President Biden next month. We will defend President Biden next year. We will defend President Biden until the very end.
Whip Clark: As the Leader has said, this impeachment is based on no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. But it's all the evidence we need to show that Kevin McCarthy has lost control of the gavel. With this announcement today, he has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Republican Conference is controlled by conspiracy theorists, devoid of reasonable voices that are coming here to govern and solve problems. Donald Trump is the ultimate puppet master. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling the shots. They ignored their constituents and they have purged their ranks of anyone who could call themselves a moderate. If there were moderates left, where are they? Why haven't they demanded a vote? Why haven't they come out and called this a distraction, a gross political stunt? Why? Because MAGA extremists are running the House. Six weeks ago, Kevin McCarthy sent the House home without a plan to keep the federal government open for business. Now we have just days to fund the government for the American people. But instead of getting to work, instead of thinking about the brave firefighters who need to get paid as they battle wildfires across this country, our heroic troops who deserve a paycheck for their service, the communities that need disaster aid, the seniors that depend on government service. He has launched a sham impeachment inquiry rooted in baseless, discredited lies. There is no evidence, none. And when Republicans are asked about it, they dance around the question. So what's the origin story of today's announcement? January 3rd, when the extremists dangled the speakership in front of Kevin McCarthy and he sold out. Those extremists have pushed us to the edge of economic disaster with the manufactured default crisis. When we came together in an agreement to save our economy before the ink was even dry, McCarthy once again succumbed to pressure and reneged. Then he sent us home for six weeks, just having passed one of 12 appropriation bills. And now here we are. Just days ago, he vowed to hold a vote for an inquiry. But the leaders of the MAGA Republican Conference are not here to serve the American people or improve their lives or brighten their future. There is no agenda except chaos and division. They are only interested in advancing MAGA extremism, but whatever distractions they manufacture, Democrats are here to do our jobs. We are here to grow the economy by growing the middle class. And that's what we'll continue to do. And now I yield to our incredible Caucus Chair, Pete Aguilar.
Chairman Aguilar: Thank you so much, Whip Clark. Here we are again nine months later. Chaos, confusion, dysfunction. That's how this Congress started when we nominated Leader Jeffries 15 times, the chaos on the other side, the deals that had to be cut. That's who the Republican Conference is. House Democrats aren't going to be distracted. We're going to continue talking about the important agenda that we've laid out. Creating 13 million jobs with the Biden-Harris administration, implementing landmark pieces of legislation, lifting up the middle class. Those are the things that the American public wants us to talk about. And those are the things that we will continue to deliver. This Republican Conference is solely about chaos, confusion and the performance of a few personalities. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy have dinner. Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy have dinner. They break bread and they plot all of this for House Republicans to carry his political water and do his bidding. Our focus is going to be the American people. Our focus is not going to be on the politics of Donald Trump. That's not who we are. That's not what the American public wants us to focus on.
Full press conference can be watched here.