WASHINGTON — Sen. John Fetterman offered a message Wednesday to House Republicans considering impeaching President Joe Biden: “Go ahead, do it. I dare you.”
Speaking to reporters in his Senate office, the Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that the impeachment push by Republicans on the other side of the Capitol was meant to deflect from the mountain of legal problems facing former President Donald Trump.
“Your man has what, three or four indictments now?” Fetterman said. “Trump has a mug shot and he’s been impeached twice.”
“Sometimes you just gotta call their bull—,” he said.
The first-term senator went on to say that a Biden impeachment “would just be like a big circle jerk on the fringe right,” and “would diminish what impeachment really means.”
Talk of an impeachment inquiry has gained steam in recent weeks, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., telling Fox Business last month that he was open to pursuing the matter if the administration doesn’t turn over documents and information to House committees investigating Biden family business dealings, including Hunter Biden. Some vulnerable Republicans, however, are skeptical about opening an impeachment inquiry.
Fetterman said impeachment would be a political “loser” for House Republicans, along with the looming threat of a government shutdown if they can’t reach a funding deal before the end of the month.
“I’m just tired of a couple of them over there, talking like they’re hard a–es,” Fetterman said. “They just keep pushing it.”
Congress needs to pass a government funding bill by Sept. 30 to avoid a partial shutdown on Oct. 1, the first day of the new fiscal year.
Fetterman, who spoke to reporters using an iPad to dictate the questions asked of him as he recovers from a stroke, was also asked for his perspective about two freezing episodes involving 81-year-old Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Aug. 30, 202301:00
“I truly don’t believe in kind of hammering individuals, elderly, I just don’t,” Fetterman, 54, said. “It’s not really a partisan thing. It’s like whenever it’s the right time to leave, I believe they have the right to do that as well.”
He said old age has become “weaponized.”
“They weaponized it against, you know, the president or weaponized it against McConnell or others, and I just really leave it to each person to have the respect to and the dignity to handle it the way they want to,” he said.
Frank Thorp reported from Washington, Dareh Gregorian reported from New York.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
