Congressional Republicans "absolutely should" start the impeachment process for President Joe Biden over whistleblower allegations that there was meddling in a government investigation of his son Hunter, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Thursday.
On Fox News show “Gutfeld!” host Greg Gutfield asked Haley, "Why can't they start impeachment right now?"
"Well, they absolutely should," Haley replied.
A campaign spokesperson followed-up on Friday, saying that Haley wants lawmakers to conduct oversight that could lead to impeachment.
“Nikki believes Congress needs to get to the bottom of whether Joe Biden committed crimes or other impeachable offenses since the Justice Department refuses to do it. That process starts with a Congressional oversight investigation,” Ken Farnaso said in a statement.
The comments from Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump, came as House Republicans look to question officials from the Justice Department and the IRS on allegations that there was interference in an investigation into Hunter Biden.
The chairs of the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees are seeking interviews with over a dozen officials involved in the investigation of tax-related misdemeanor crimes alleged to have been committed by Hunter Biden.
In discussing the IRS whistleblower, Haley said the person was “actually legit.”
“You’re not talking about just some guy that showed up and decided to say something,” Haley said.
Gary Shapley, a supervisory special agent with IRS criminal investigations who has worked for the agency since 2009, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in May, and the committee made the transcript available this month.
Among Shapley's allegations is that David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, sought authority to hit Hunter Biden with broader charges in Washington, D.C., and California, but the U.S. attorneys in those districts wouldn’t do so.
The Justice Department has denied the allegations. “As both the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate. He needs no further approval to do so,” said Wyn Hornbuckle, deputy director of the Justice Department Office of Public Affairs.
Shapley also alleged to the committee that as an investigator for the IRS, he obtained messages Hunter Biden sent on the WhatsApp platform, including one that he read demanding payment from a Chinese businessman named Henry Zhao. In the message, Biden appeared to suggest that he was sitting with his father, then the former vice president, saying, “I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.”
President Biden has denied any involvement with the text message, and an attorney for Hunter Biden said Friday that purported screenshots of the text message are “not real and contain myriad of issues.”
On Thursday, Haley said: “All we’re asking for is fairness. If Trump did something wrong? Fine. Let’s vet it. Let’s see what happens. He’s got a jury. He can defend himself. If Biden did something wrong, fine, but we’ve got to vet it. They’ve got to do it.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a GOP presidential contender who has been more critical of Trump, said Friday that he did not yet think Biden needed to be impeached.
“While the whistleblower allegations are serious and must be investigated, impeachment should not be an option until the investigation shows corrupt action by the President," he said in a statement. "Impeachment should not be used as a political weapon, but reserved for serious wrongdoing. The facts should determine what action, if any, Congress should take and impeachment should not precede a thorough investigation.”
Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor crimes of willfully failing to pay federal income taxes, according to a court filing. He also faces a separate felony gun possession charge that is likely to be dismissed if he meets certain conditions, according to court documents.
His plea hearing is scheduled for July 26. Two sources familiar with the plea agreement for the tax violations have said it includes a provision in which the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend probation.
Republicans have blasted the agreement as a “sweetheart deal.”
CORRECTION (June 30, 2023, 7:49 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated Haley’s remarks on impeachment. She said Republicans should start impeachment proceedings for Biden, not that they should vote to impeach him. It also misstated the date of Haley’s remarks. She spoke on Thursday, not Friday.
