To add another layer of drama to the midterm elections this year, Senator Ted Cruz said it was likely that Republicans would impeach President Joe Biden if they win control of the House.
The senator shared on his podcast last week that his party has multiple reasons for impeachment against Biden, saying that lax border policies are the most likely of "multiple" justifications.
"There are potentially multiple grounds to consider for impeachment," Cruz said.
Cruz said in his podcast that the impeachment would be for 'actual reasons,' drawing a line between that and what he said the Democrats did by impeaching Trump because they didn't agree with him.
"The Democrats weaponized impeachment. They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him," Cruz said on his podcast last week. "The more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel — you know, what's good for the goose is good for the gander."
Cruz defended former President Trump during both of his impeachment trials. The first was on allegations that he abused his office by pressuring Ukraine into tarnishing Biden and the second for inciting the mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to Cruz during her Tuesday briefing.
"Our reaction is maybe Senator Cruz can work with us on getting something done on comprehensive immigration reform and putting in place measures that will help make sure smart security is what we see at the border — taking a more humane approach to the border instead of name-calling, accusation-calling and making predictions of the future," she said.
Cruz shared on his podcast that, in his opinion, Democrats have lowered the bar for impeachment but did not say anything about the possibility of Republicans using the same tool against Biden if they get the chance.
"Because the Democrats decided this is just another tool in the partisan war chest, I think there's a real risk that that turnabout will be fair play … whether it's justified or not," Cruz said.
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Articles of impeachment accusing Biden of failures in Afghanistan and at the border and of abusing his power by extending a pandemic-related freeze on evictions were filed in September by four House Republicans.
When it comes to what could lead to impeachment this time, Cruz shared that Biden's actions at the border are the "strongest grounds right now."
"Probably the most compelling is the utter lawlessness of President Biden's refusal to enforce the border — his decision to just defy federal immigration laws and allow 2 million people to come here unimpeded, in direct contravention of his obligation under Article Two of the Constitution to take care that the laws be faithfully executed," Cruz said.
