Ex-Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon suggested former President Donald Trump should run for House speaker and lead an impeachment effort against President Joe Biden, and then resign in order to run for the White House again in 2024.
The former Breitbart editor, who now hosts his own popular podcast, said Biden’s mishandling of the Afghanistan crisis would be “one of the big charges eventually brought” against him.
“This thing is going to be huge,” Bannon said during a recent podcast episode.
“That’s why I say, hey, Donald Trump should be elected the speaker of the House after [Republicans] have the sweeping victory in November ’22, at least for 100 days, take the gavel from [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, gavel him in, start the impeachment process,” Bannon continued. “In 100 days, punch out and go run for president of the United States in 2024.”
Several other Trump allies have floated the idea, noting that there is no provision in the US Constitution or House rules requiring that the speaker be an elected member of Congress. However, others have dismissed it due to the troubling precedent it would set.
Trump, for his part, said in June that it was “highly unlikely” he would pursue the speakership, though the idea of replacing Pelosi was “interesting” to him.
Even without Trump, Republicans would consider impeaching Biden if he “takes an illegal action,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
“But we’re not going to move impeachment for political purposes,” McCarthy added, noting he does not want to be like the Democrats, who impeached Trump twice for political reasons.
Some House Republicans believe Biden has already violated the law in a way that merits impeachment.
Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, cited Biden’s recent decision to implement a new eviction moratorium despite the Supreme Court’s warning that any federal extension of the policy would be unconstitutional, as well as Biden’s refusal to crack down on illegal immigration at the southern border.
“The President is derelict in his duty, having repeatedly said he lacks the authority to extend the CDC’s eviction moratorium, then extending it anyway,” Gibbs said in a statement.
“His actions on the border represent a negligence in keeping America secure,” Gibbs continued. “We need to cut this off at the pass now and show we will not stand for clearly unconstitutional actions.”
