Representative Ken Buck (R-CO) said Wednesday on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was attempting “impeachment theater” to distract voters from the upcoming appropriations bills.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “Let’s talk about the impeachment. Do you think it could be a political game and why do you believe that Speaker McCarthy in the last 24, 36 hours has begun to lean more into the notion of opening an impeachment inquiry?”
Buck said, “Well, this is impeachment theater. We right now are starting the appropriations process, and there is no consensus on the Republican side about what the number should be. Kevin McCarthy promised when he was running for speaker one set of numbers, and then he made an agreement with President Biden for the debt ceiling increase on another set of numbers.”
He added, “So right now, he has got to convince the public that he’s credible and that Republicans have a duty to follow him. The party itself is not in agreement and we’re going to have some real trouble passing appropriations bills.”
Bash said, “I just want to make sure I understand what you’re saying. It sounds like you’re saying that the speaker is talking about impeachment to try to distract conservatives like you from spending bills that you don’t like.”
Buck said, “Well, not just me, but the public. What he’s doing is he’s saying there’s a shiny object over here and we’re really going to focus on that. We just need to get all these things done so that we can focus on the shiny object. Most of us are concerned about spending, and it is an existential threat to this country. And so we want to move forward with the spending bills in a responsible way.”
Bash asked, “Do you believe there is any reason why the House Republican majority should open an inquiry right now other than politics?”
Buck said, “I don’t think it’s responsible for us to talk about impeachment when you start raising the I-word, it sends a message to the public and it sets expectations. I do think that what’s going on in the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee is absolutely fair and is part of our responsibility.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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