House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently announced an official impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, which centers on his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. House Republicans have been investigating bank statements, emails, and other records for any connections between the president and his son’s international financial ventures.
The controversy surrounding this impeachment inquiry has taken an unusual turn, with Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz claiming that the White House attempted to intimidate journalists into not covering the investigation. Gaetz asserted that the White House sought to suppress information related to bank records, travel logs, devices, communications, bribes, and more, all of which, in his view, contribute to a substantial case for impeachment.
Gaetz’s allegations were made in a post on a social media platform on September 14, 2023, which garnered significant attention. In his post, Gaetz stated, “The White House is directly trying to THREATEN media outlets from covering Joe Biden’s corruption.”
He also referenced a past incident involving Hunter Biden’s laptop, alleging that government agencies had attempted to persuade media companies to censor information related to the laptop.
However, the facts surrounding Gaetz’s claim do not support his assertions. A memo dated September 12, 2023, from Ian Sams, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Spokesman for the White House Counsel’s Office, was sent to U.S. news organizations regarding the impeachment inquiry.
Contrary to Gaetz’s claims, this memo did not contain any threats directed at journalists. Instead, it expressed the White House’s skepticism about the impeachment inquiry itself. The memo featured on-the-record statements from Republicans questioning the quality of evidence behind the inquiry and reiterated the White House’s position that the grounds for the inquiry were “baseless.”
“It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,” the memo stated.
While the letter encouraged reporters to investigate House Republicans for initiating the inquiry, it did not contain any threats of censorship, injunctions, or other means through which the White House could obstruct journalists’ right to report on impeachment proceedings.
In summary, the White House disputes allegations of attempting to silence media coverage of the Biden impeachment inquiry. While they have expressed skepticism about the basis for the inquiry, there is no evidence to support claims of media threats or censorship as suggested by Congressman Matt Gaetz.