Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, there was plenty of talk about congressional Republicans and their interest in impeachment proceedings. A New York Times report noted last fall, for example, that a “Republican-led stream of impeachments, as some lawmakers have promised … could serve as an endless string of distractions for the executive branch.”
To date, that hasn’t happened — at least in part because the House’s GOP majority has focused much of its attention on threatening to impose a deliberate economic catastrophe unless Democrats agree to a series of radically regressive demands. But it’d be an exaggeration to say the subject has disappeared entirely.
As American Bridge was first to note, Sen. Ron Johnson spoke to conservative radio host Dan O’Donnell last week, and the Wisconsin Republican managed to say something relatively responsible, at least for him. The senator reminded the host that it’s unrealistic to think that the Senate would convict President Joe Biden, even if he were impeached, adding, “Quite honestly, we have to stop this impeaching every president, you know, the back and forth. It’s not healthy for our system.”
For those of us who’ve come to expect Johnson to say ridiculous things about a wide variety subjects, this was a pleasant change of pace — or at least it would’ve been were it not for the GOP lawmaker’s other comments from the same interview.
During the same on-air appearance, O’Donnell asked the senator whether Johnson believes the House should impeach Biden — neither the host nor the guest specified what it is the Democrat should be impeached over — and whether Johnson would vote to convict in response to unspecified charges that don’t exist. The Wisconsin Republican replied:
“First of all, yes, I would do anything to get rid of Joe Biden, okay, in a legal process. Again, he was so unfit, he never should have been elected. What I would do if I was in the House, I would impeach [Homeland…
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