Rep. Lauren Boebert divides House GOP with Biden impeachment push

Rep. Lauren Boebert’s drive to impeach President Biden is stirring up divisions within the House Republican conference and drawing hostility from party leadership.

On Tuesday night, Boebert (R-Colo.) announced she was charging ahead with a privileged motion to impeach Biden for his alleged failure to enforce immigration laws and secure the southern border.

But in a closed-door conference meeting Wednesday, many Republicans were peeved at the move, a source familiar with the situation told The Post.

“How are we going to censure Adam Schiff for abusing his position to lie and force an impeachment and then turn around and do it ourselves the next day?” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) asked at one point, according to Punchbowl News, alluding to the censure resolution against Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) set for a vote Wednesday evening.

Republican leadership reportedly conveyed to members that they felt the push to impeach Biden was premature and that the caucus should allow committee investigations focusing on the president to pan out.

Boebert’s resolution features two articles of impeachment. One alleges dereliction of duty over Biden’s alleged failure to enforce immigration laws and another charges abuse of power for “knowingly” pursuing an “open borders” agenda.

“The American people can no longer be subjected to a President who refuses to secure our borders. His open border agenda has put every American at greater risk, allowed human traffickers to thrive and given the cartel a free pass. He is not fit to remain as Commander in Chief,” Boebert said late Tuesday.

Boebert’s move seemingly contradicts demands by her fellow conservatives that the House operate with regular order, in which legislation is generally fine-tuned in committees and opened for amendments before being brought to the floor for a vote.

Calls for a return to regular order were prominent in the standoff between GOP holdouts and McCarthy during his battle for the gavel back in January. Boebert was one of the rebels, but later voted “present,” paving the way for McCarthy’s ascension on the 15th ballot.

Both the House Judiciary and Oversight committees have been scrutinizing Biden, with the latter zeroing in on the first family’s overseas business dealings.

“If an impeachment doesn’t come out of committee, such as Judiciary or Oversight, I’ll be a no. Committees investigate and put facts out on both sides,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios.

Other Republicans in the House have also signaled opposition to the impeachment push, including Reps. John Duarte of California, Carlos Giménez of Florida and French Hill of Arkansas.

As a privileged motion, Boebert’s impeachment endeavor will require some type of floor action this week. The move comes against the backdrop of first son Hunter Biden’s plea deal with federal prosecutors that allows him to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax law violations and lying about being a drug addict in possession of a firearm.

Other Republicans in the House have embarked on similar efforts to impeach Biden.

Last week, for instance, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced articles of impeachment against Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly shielding “business and influence-peddling schemes of his family from congressional oversight and public accountability.” Boebert co-sponsored the bill.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) similarly proposed articles of impeachment against Biden and a slew of other officials in his administration last month over immigration. Boebert does not appear to be a co-sponsor on that effort.

Republicans have long raged against the Biden administration’s immigration policies, accusing him of enabling a border crisis.

During fiscal year 2022, migrant encounters at the southern border surged to record levels and topped 2.3 million, according to US Customs and Border Protection. 

Reps for Boebert and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.