The White House will demand that major media outlets cover the impeachment inquiry into the president announced by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday with “scrutiny,” according to CNN.
McCarthy directed the Republican Party to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his conduct as vice president. The White House is planning to send a letter to the executives of major news outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, the Associated Press and CBS News, explaining the impeachment inquiry should “set off alarm bells for news organizations,” according to a draft copy obtained by CNN.
“It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,” Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House’s Counsel Office, wrote in the letter, according to CNN.
McCarthy first started considering an impeachment inquiry in August if the Department of Justice (DOJ) used David Weiss’s position as special counsel to block an investigation into Hunter Biden by the House Oversight Committee. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two tax misdemeanors in July after his diversion agreement and plea deal fell apart because scrutiny from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika led to a disagreement between Hunter Biden’s legal team and the DOJ. (RELATED: House Oversight Pushes Back On White House’s Claim Of ‘No Evidence’ Linking Joe Biden To Hunter Business Deals)
The DOJ alerted the House Judiciary Committee in August that it would not comply with its subpoenas for two FBI agents as part of the committee’s investigation into an IRS whistleblower testimony which allegedly showed the DOJ gave Hunter Biden special treatment in its investigation for alleged tax and gun crimes.
The House GOP was expected to vote on an impeachment inquiry ahead of McCarthy’s announcement, though his Tuesday remarks made no mention of such in order for the inquiry to occur.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announces an impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Joe Biden to members of the news media outside his office at the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The White House began preparing its war room for an impeachment inquiry during August recess, staffing two dozen lawyers, legislative aides and communications staffers to prepare a response to the GOP efforts.
“Covering impeachment as a process story – Republicans say X, but the White House says Y – is a disservice to the American public who relies on the independent press to hold those in power accountable,” Sams wrote in the letter, CNN reported.
“And in the modern media environment, where every day liars and hucksters peddle disinformation and lies everywhere from Facebook to Fox, process stories that fail to unpack the illegitimacy of the claims on which House Republicans are basing all their actions only serve to generate confusion, put false premises in people’s feeds, and obscure the truth,” the letter continues.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.