Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on Wednesday evening voted with fellow Republicans to approve an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.
In a statement posted to social media, Fitzpatrick said the resolution for an impeachment inquiry against Biden “does not contain any articles of impeachment.”
The congressman, who positions himself as a leader in bipartisanship in Congress, said in his statement that he “certainly will not” move to “prejudge or pursue any predetermined outcome based on partisan politics.”
Fitzpatrick, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in 2020, voted twice against impeaching Trump.
A statement from Indivisible Bucks County called the impeachment inquiry into Biden a “revenge impeachment inquiry.”
“Brian Fitzpatrick’s constituents are focused on issues like our healthcare, our safety, and the economy,” said Karen Rodriguez, of progressive group Indivisible Bucks County. “We are completely disinterested in political games like this unfounded impeachment inquiry. Our community deserves a representative who is interested in governing, but Brian Fitzpatrick has shown us that he’s only interested in pursuing his party’s goal of tarnishing a good president in the run-up to the 2024 election.”
Political group Congressional Integrity Project called out Fitzpatrick for his vote on the impeachment inquiry.
“Brian Fitzpatrick and MAGA House Republicans have taken a blatantly political stance tonight. They chose to stand with Donald Trump, the disgraced former president facing 91 criminal indictments, NOT with the American people and their important priorities like health care and addressing the cost of living,” Congressional Integrity Project Executive Director Kyle Herrig said.
The Congressional Integrity Project ran ads calling on Fitzpatrick last week not to support an impeachment inquiry against Biden, calling it “evidence free.”
The approval of a formal impeachment investigation represents a move by Republicans, who anticipate that the action will strengthen enforcement of subpoena orders.
Congressional Republicans, who are managing the impeachment process, have leveled allegations of dubious business dealings against Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family. The Republican investigators have not yet provided substantial proof to support claims of illegality, which would be needed to impeach the president.
Hunter Biden has faced charges from the U.S. Department of Justice in a firearms-related case and subsequently in a tax evasion case. Federal authorities have released information on Hunter Biden’s lavish spending habits while he owed taxes.
The federal investigations have not implicated the president in any of his son’s alleged crimes.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Below is Fitzpatrick’s full statement:
“As I stated back in 2019, ‘second only to declaring war, impeaching a President and overturning the results of an election is the most significant action that Congress can take. Impeachment is a constitutional nuclear option of last resort. Historical precedent demands that this only occurs in the most extreme of circumstances, and should happen only after a formal law enforcement investigation where independent, non-partisan factual findings of criminal activity are presented to Congress. As a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, any legitimate investigation must be completely nonpartisan, must be 360 degrees in its scope, must leave no stone unturned, must not prejudge the outcome, must follow the facts wherever they lead and must report those facts with unimpeachable integrity.
“Let me be clear: today’s inquiry resolution only authorizes the Oversight, Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees to continue their already existing investigation, and allows them to fully enforce currently outstanding, congressionally-issued subpoenas. It does not contain any articles of impeachment.
“Why is this step necessary? The White House, in a November 17, 2023 letter to Congress where they refused to comply with congressional subpoenas and interview requests, justified their failure to cooperate by stating that “…the Constitution requires that the full House authorize an impeachment inquiry before a committee may utilize compulsory process pursuant to the impeachment power…”
“So, in other words, this White House response has forced us to hold this vote before they are willing to cooperate with congressionally-authorized subpoenas and allow for full transparency and a determination of all the facts.
“The American people deserve complete transparency and an indisputable evidentiary record. Moreover, the House must have all of the facts before deciding whether or not to proceed with this matter any further. Until we have all of the facts, no one should prejudge or pursue any predetermined outcome based on partisan politics. I certainly will not.”
