WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The White House and Democrats are fighting back as Republicans launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced plans to launch the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday, sparking a political firestorm in an already bitterly-divided Congress.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams said the move was baseless.
"They've failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing and that's because there is no evidence of wrongdoing," Sams said.
For months, House Republicans have been investigating the president's alleged connections to his son Hunter's business dealings.
"Joe Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge and involvement in his family's foreign business dealings and that he has potentially committed multiple impeachment offenses," Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said.
But Biden's allies call the inquiry a waste of time and taxpayer resources.
"This is a Donald Trump revenge tour that Republicans have signed onto," Congressman Pete Aguilar said.
Speaker McCarthy insists Congress needs to dig deeper. He says the inquiry could allow lawmakers to access more important information, including Biden's bank statements and private emails.
"An impeachment inquiry is simply empowering the House to a greater level to get the documents they need to answer questions," McCarthy said.
The White House says the speaker is simply caving to political pressure from extreme members of his party.
"It's why the speaker didn't hold a vote to open this inquiry, despite saying he would, because he doesn't have the support from even within the House Republican caucus to do it," Sams said.
While Republicans push the impeachment probe, Biden's team says he won't be distracted.
"We are following the money and we will see where that leads us," Congressman James Comer said.
"The president is going to stay focused on the issues that really matter to the American people," Sams said.