President Biden brushed off and smiled at reporters who peppered him with questions Tuesday evening about a potential impeachment by Republicans in the House.
Following a speech in the East Room of the White House about expanding access to mental health care, Biden made his way to the exit where a group of reporters eagerly asked for his thoughts about the growing discussion by Republicans to impeach him.
Amid numerous questions, one reporter asked, "Mr. President, McCarthy says he may [consider] an impeachment inquiry to get to the bottom of —"
Smiling from ear to ear in one clip shared to social media, Biden quickly passed by the noisy group of reporters.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry of Biden over claims of financial misconduct.
Speaking Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. He said an impeachment inquiry "allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth" about whether Biden committed any wrongdoing.
An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.
Other Republicans also appear to be on board with the idea of impeachment, specifically House Freedom Caucus members.
"When he does speak to … impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight. And that's why I think the ground shifted on that a little bit when he opened up the door," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said after a Freedom Caucus press conference on Tuesday. "I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift."
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., suggested there would be "an uprising" against Biden if the House did not move forward with trying to remove him.
"Look, the evidence is mounting against this guy. Look at what he’s done," Norman said. "What Donald Trump’s done with papers pales in comparison."
Norman said there was a "difference of opinion" on whether to take such a severe step but dismissed the idea of risking an impeachment vote that fails.
"Some people think that what he’s done isn’t that bad. A lot of us in general — the public, it’s gonna be an uprising against this guy, I think, at the end of the day."
McCarthy predicted Monday that Republicans will gather enough evidence soon to mount an impeachment inquiry against Biden, as the corruption scandal enveloping him and his son Hunter continues to grow.
McCarthy made reference to a relatively new revelation from the House Oversight Committee that — while Joe was vice president — Hunter Biden "capitalized" on a financial relationship with a Romanian national later convicted on corruption charges.
According to prepared remarks from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., in June, the Bidens received more than $1 million in 17 increments.
McCarthy, during an appearance on Fox News, said that 16 of those 17 payments went to what he described as "Biden shell companies" while President Biden was vice president. According to Comer's prepared remarks, the elder Biden had been "lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies" while instead being a "walking billboard for his … family to collect money."
"When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he's never talked about [Hunter's] business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now prove is not true," McCarthy said on "Hannity."
He said evidence and legitimacy of their caucus' probes are mounting, as he described the two IRS investigators who testified before Congress last week as "some of the most credible" to come forward.
McCarthy cited the FBI 1023 form wherein a confidential human source told the bureau that Biden was paid $5 million by a Burisma executive while he was vice president and while Hunter was on the board.
Biden has long denied discussion or involvement in Hunter's business deals, recently rebuffing a New York Post reporter who asked why he is reportedly referred to as the "big guy" in the FBI form — which is the same nickname purportedly used as a pseudonym in a message gleaned from previously released documentation connected to Hunter.
McCarthy on Tuesday gave no timeline for launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden.
Fox News' Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.