An administration aide familiar with the strategy told reporters that the White House has assembled two dozen lawyers, legislative aides, and communications staff to prepare a response to a prospective impeachment effort by the GOP against President Joe Biden.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stated on Sunday that an impeachment investigation into Vice President Biden is a "natural step forward," adding that he intends to present the inquiry to Congress in September, as The Daily Caller reported.
Since McCarthy's remarks, White House aides have used the August recess to research GOP statements and hone their response to a potential impeachment investigation, according to a source familiar with the strategy who spoke to NBC News.
The White House's Response
“Comparing this to past impeachments isn’t apples to apples or even apples to oranges; it’s apples to elephants,” the White House aide told the outlet. “Never in modern history has an impeachment been based on no evidence whatsoever.”
NBC News also reported that the White House began preparing for an impeachment investigation once the House of Representatives shifted to a Republican majority earlier in 2023.
McCarthy discussed initiating impeachment proceedings if the Department of Justice (DOJ) used David Weiss' position as special counsel to prevent the House Oversight Committee from investigating Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two tax misdemeanors after his plea bargain and diversion agreement collapsed due to U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika's scrutiny, which led to a dispute between the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden's legal team.
Implications for the Justice Department
The DOJ notified the House Judiciary Committee earlier in the week that it would not comply with subpoenas for two FBI agents as part of the committee's investigation into IRS whistleblower testimony allegedly demonstrating the DOJ gave Hunter Biden preferential treatment in its investigation for alleged tax and gun crimes.
Biden's advisers have used the 1998 House attempt to impeach President Bill Clinton as a model for their response, a source familiar with the strategy told NBC News.
The aides believe the current likelihood of a GOP impeachment investigation is "not an evidence-based effort; it's an election-focused effort," according to a source familiar with the Biden campaign's thinking.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.
