Swalwell decries Biden impeachment inquiry as ‘continuation’ of Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) argued on Sunday that House Republicans’ effort to impeach President Joe Biden is a “continuation of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

Asked what he made of former President Donald Trump’s role in House GOP leadership’s decision-making, Swalwell argued that the former president and his allies, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), “have never accepted Joe Biden as the president. They tried to run and incite and inflame an insurrection that failed.”

REPUBLICANS TURN THE SCREW ON JOE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AND HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION

“They voted to acquit the insurrection when we brought forth impeachment proceedings in the House and the Senate. Many of McCarthy’s folks go to the January 6 prisoners and visit them to give them comfort and aid,” he continued. “So they’ve never accepted President Biden as a legitimate president, and this week, even as we are hurtling toward a shutdown, they’ll hold impeachment proceedings, which is just a continuation of the insurrection. And so this is all about just putting Donald Trump in charge.”

Swalwell, who served on the Jan. 6 select committee, also pointed out how McCarthy and other Trump allies opposed the commission. Republicans argue their opposition stemmed from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rejecting two of McCarthy’s picks to serve on the commission, while Democrats claim the GOP used Pelosi’s move as an excuse to come out against the panel’s existence.

McCarthy announced the inquiry earlier this month, calling the move the “logical next step” in House Republicans’ investigation into allegations of influence-peddling by the Biden family. While Democrats in both chambers were quick to condemn the effort, Republicans in the Senate were split on the inquiry itself and the idea of a potential trial.

Some GOP senators sympathized with McCarthy’s need to placate the conservative wing of his conference, who have threatened to turn against the House speaker should he not either move forward with impeachment or support their push for steep spending cuts in exchange for their votes to avert a government shutdown.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The inquiry is being jointly led by the chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees in the Republican-led House. Should GOP lawmakers coalesce around the eventual impeachment articles, Biden’s fate will be left to the Senate, where Democrats control the body by a slight 51-49 margin.

Given that no Democrats support the investigation, including critical swing votes, the impeachment effort is all but certain to fail once it reaches the upper chamber. Even delivering articles to the Senate will prove to be a challenge for House Republicans, where McCarthy has failed to convince the entire conference to back the inquiry.