House Judiciary Witness Jonathan Turley: GOP Passes Threshold for Impeachment Inquiry
In a recent development, House Judiciary witness Professor Jonathan Turley stated that House Republicans have passed the threshold to initiate an impeachment inquiry. This contradicts the claim made by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee that Turley believes the current evidence does not meet the standards for impeachment.
Turley’s remarks came during a hearing held by the House Oversight Committee on September 28, where they launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings. Turley, who was called as a witness by House Republicans, initially stated that he did not believe the current evidence would support articles of impeachment. However, he later clarified that House Republicans had indeed passed the threshold for an impeachment inquiry.
Turley further elaborated on his position in a written testimony, where he reiterated his belief that House Republicans do not have enough evidence for articles of impeachment, but they have met the threshold for an inquiry into President Biden’s alleged involvement in corrupt practices related to his son, Hunter Biden.
Addressing the impeachment inquiry, Turley wrote in an opinion article for The Hill that there is sufficient justification for such an inquiry. He emphasized that while a direct payment or gift to Joe Biden would strengthen the case politically, it is not essential legally.
The House Oversight Committee spokesperson refuted the claims made by the House Judiciary Committee’s Democrats, highlighting that Turley clearly stated in his testimony that the evidence uncovered in their investigation had surpassed the threshold needed to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden’s conduct.
It is crucial to note that the standard of evidence for an impeachment inquiry differs from the standard for impeachment itself. Legal experts argue that the standard to begin an impeachment inquiry is significantly lower than the standard of evidence for voting on actual articles of impeachment. House Republicans have been deemed to have enough evidence to initiate an impeachment inquiry.
In conclusion, the testimony of Professor Jonathan Turley has sparked differing interpretations from both Democrats and Republicans. While Turley believes that the evidence currently falls short of supporting articles of impeachment, he also believes that House Republicans have met the threshold to commence an impeachment inquiry. The debate regarding the standards and evidence required for impeachment continues to shape the political landscape.
