“Clown Show”: The GOP Describes Its Own Impeachment Process

Mandel Ngan/Getty

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.“New Low.” “Pathetic.” “Clown show.” On Thursday, during the impeachment inquiry hearing for President Joe Biden concocted by the GOP amid a potential government shutdown, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) used Republican’s own words against them.
The nation is less than three days away from a potentially devastating government shutdown, with millions of federal workers’ paychecks hanging in the balance. Still, a group of far-right members of Congress are preoccupied with an attempt to impeach President Joe Biden on unsubstantiated claims that he benefitted from the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. 
Joining several other Democrats calling out the GOP during the hearing, Raskin’s team printed out quotes from Republicans denouncing the push to impeach Biden. “So let’s get it straight,” said Raskin during the hearing. “We’re 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the USA, and Republicans are launching an impeachment drive based on a long debunked and discredited lie.”   

“Lunatics.” “Pathetic.” “Clown show.” @RepRaskin has the receipts to prove what the GOP thinks of its own. pic.twitter.com/iaCcxCl52R
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) September 28, 2023

Currently, Congress has until Saturday at midnight to pass a short-term spending bill or approximately 4 million federal employees will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until legislators reach an agreement, according to CNN. 
Since 2022, many far-right Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.), have spearheaded an effort to impeach Biden under the suspicion that he engaged in illicit financial activity with his scandal-ridden son, Hunter. However, as the media and several Democrats pointed out today, the evidence the GOP has of any wrongdoing on the president’s part is scarce. As my colleague, David Corn wrote: