U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said “there’s a chance” Republicans could move to impeach President Joe Biden if the GOP regains a majority in the House in November’s midterm elections.
“The Democrats weaponized impeachment. They used it for partisan purposes to go after (former President Donald) Trump because they disagreed with him. And one of the real disadvantages of doing that … is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” Cruz said in the most recent episode of his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz.”
Texas’ junior senator has been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters during both impeachment proceedings against him. The House first impeached Trump in 2019 over allegations that he solicited foreign intervention in a U.S. election by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden, and again in 2021 for his role in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Cruz also is one of the top Republican lawmakers to echo Trump’s calls for investigations into the 2020 election results.
While the 2019 impeachment vote stuck to party lines, in 2021 10 House Republicans voted with Democrats to impeach Trump for “inciting an insurrection,” though neither case won enough votes to result in a conviction in the Senate.
Democrats insist that both impeachments were based on Trump’s misconduct in office, but Cruz accused Democrats of turning the proceedings into stunts for political gain.
“That’s not how impeachment is meant to work. But I think the Democrats crossed that line. I think there’ll be enormous pressure on a Republican House to begin impeachment proceedings,” Cruz said in the podcast released Friday.
Cruz argued that Biden’s immigration policy and handling of the border could be grounds for a future Republican-led impeachment effort.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded to his comments in a press briefing.
“Maybe Sen. Cruz can work with us on getting something done on comprehensive immigration reform and putting in place measures that will help make sure smart security is what we see at the border, taking a more humane approach to the border instead of name calling, accusation calling, and making predictions of the future,” Psaki said.
While the Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, Democrats hold a slim majority in the House, which political analysts say could change after this year’s elections.
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