As RedState previously reported, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appeared Monday on Fox News to talk about the allegations against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, involving alleged bribery and corruption at the highest levels and whether or not new information we’ve learned in part from whistleblowers in recent weeks rose to the level of pursuing impeachment.

While McCarthy stopped short of saying Biden should be impeached, he did tell Sean Hannity that the case against Biden is “rising to the level” of an impeachment inquiry:

“When Biden was running for office, he told the public he has never talked about business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we proved is not true,” McCarthy told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, referencing Biden’s previous statements that he did not talk to his son, Hunter Biden, about his foreign business activities.

[…]

“We’ve only followed where the information has taken us. But Hannity, this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed,” McCarthy said.

“Because this president has also used something we have not seen since Richard Nixon: Use the weaponization of government to benefit his family and deny Congress the ability to have the oversight,” McCarthy said.

In a press conference Thursday, McCarthy called on a reporter who proceeded to put words in his mouth by saying he was “floating” Biden’s impeachment. McCarthy corrected the reporter multiple times, explaining that there was a “big difference” in calling for impeachment and suggesting that the information-gathering process is increasingly pointing in the direction of a possible impeachment inquiry.

“If [Biden officials] do not provide us with the information we need” and don’t stop preventing their agencies from cooperating with Congress so they can fulfill their Constitutional oversight responsibilities, McCarthy stated, then the next step perhaps would be to move to an impeachment inquiry scenario that would give Congress full power to investigate.

Watch:

OOF: Kevin McCarthy just calmly ripped this reporter to shreds for twisting his words. pic.twitter.com/m9dSNXDdCU

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 27, 2023

Media outlets have been claiming that statements McCarthy has made since his appearance on Hannity have been the equivalent of him slow-walking back his original comments. But in reality he’s said the same thing over and over again, that the Biden administration needs to stop obstructing Congress from being able to conduct the necessary oversight, and hand over any and all information they request in the interest of transparency. And if they don’t, McCarthy has indicated that things may be taken to a whole different level in the form of an impeachment inquiry.

In other words, McCarthy is giving the Biden administration what Democrats never would when it came to Donald Trump – the opportunity to cooperate with them. But this is also McCarthy saying to Joe Biden that his patience is running thin, and time is running out.

Opinions may vary on McCarthy’s strategy here, but I think it’s smart. That way, on down the line when and if the inquiry starts, McCarthy can point reporters and other critics to all the opportunities he gave Biden officials to do the right thing which, again, is a heckuva a lot more than what Democrats were willing to do with Trump.

As always, stay tuned.

Flashback: Kevin McCarthy Hits Nail on the Head on ‘Face the Nation’ After Question on GOP ‘Election Deniers’