'Generalized gripes': Dem rep slams McCarthy’s 'Hail Mary pass' to prevent shutdown and keep job

United States Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), a former manager during ex-President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, joined MSNBC's Yasmin Vossoughian Reports Sunday to discuss House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to move forward with opening an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden.

During the interview, host Yasmin Vossoughian said to the Democratic lawmaker, "Talk to me first about your reaction to the former president distancing himself from this impeachment inquiry. And, even going so far as to say that your colleagues across the aisle, are even more proactive than he is."

DeGette replied, "Well, thanks Yasmin for having me. I will say that, I don't know exactly what was discussed at the dinner with Speaker McCarthy and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Mr. Trump. But I will say that Kevin McCarthy is desperate to try to both not shut down the government, and to keep his job. I think what this was, this so-called impeachment inquiry that he has started, was really a Hail Mary pass that he took on. He didn't even have the votes to put it on the floor so he just announced it. He was hoping that his far-right members of the caucus would come in to line, and they just laughed. So, that didn't work for Kevin. But what's more concerning is, it's really an abuse of a very, very serious tool that should only be used in the most extreme circumstances, where there's evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors."

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Vossoughian emphasized, "I want you to expand on that. Because you wrote a tweet when this impeachment inquiry was announced, referring to this kind of dangerous tool, as you're putting it: 'Far-right Republicans have been demanding an impeachment inquiry. And today, Speaker McCarthy gave into those demands, in a cheap and a dangerous gambit to appease these radical members, and to avoid a government shutdown.' Draw on that."

DeGette said, "Now, there is no evidence that Joe Biden, President Biden, has engaged in any activities that would even give rise to an investigation of high crimes and misdemeanors. The Republicans have been trying to find evidence, ever since they took the majority in January. And, they haven't found a thing. And so, to suddenly say well, we're going to launch an impeachment inquiry, that's just an abuse of a system. I've been in congress for the last three impeachments, and all three of those — even though I disagreed with the impeachment of [ex-President] Bill Clinton — but all three of those incidents were based on an event that was quantifiable. In Donald Trump's case, the first time was when he called [Ukranian] President Zelenskyy, and he tried to get him to open an investigation of [President Biden's son] Hunter Biden, in exchange for U.S. aid. And of course, the second impeachment inquiry was, was started by the January 6th incitement. And so, all of those things had quantifiable evidence. Here, it's just generalized gripes about President Biden."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Democratic lawmaker slams 'desperate' Kevin McCarthyyoutu.be

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