The White House has officially declined an invitation for President Joe Biden to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry hearing. Special Counsel to the President, Richard Sauber, conveyed this decision to Committee Chair James Comer, asserting that the impeachment investigation has concluded and accusing Comer of promoting baseless allegations. Despite Comer’s criticism of Biden’s refusal to testify publicly, no indication has been given regarding any further actions in response to Biden’s decision.
White House Rejects Biden Testimony
House Republicans, lacking sufficient evidence of wrongdoing and facing a divided majority, have been unable to garner the votes necessary to impeach the president, leading to a stagnation of the impeachment inquiry. Comer, solely driving the effort to invite Biden to testify, did not receive support from other key figures leading the inquiry.
The invitation to Biden was viewed by some, including Republicans, as a final attempt to revive momentum in an investigation that has yielded no evidence of Biden’s misconduct, despite numerous witness interviews and extensive financial record reviews.
Despite initial expectations of Biden’s testimony this week, the formal scheduling of the hearing had not occurred. Comer’s unilateral decision to extend the invitation underscores the lack of consensus within the Republican Party regarding the course and termination of the impeachment inquiry.
