California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, describing the Republican majority's actions as "student government" in an interview with CNN.
Still, Newsom told CNN's Dana Bash on Monday that he doesn't "love" the use of family connections for money. Biden's son Hunter Biden earned of millions of dollars in places like Ukraine and China while his father had a large role in the Obama administration's foreign policy efforts.
"If that's the new criteria, there are a lot of folks in a lot of industries, not just in politics, where people have family members and relationships that they're trying to parlay and get a little influence and benefit in that respect. That's hardly unique," Newsom said.
"I don't love that any more than you love it or other people, I imagine, love it. We want to see a lot less of that," he said. "But an impeachment inquiry? Give me a break."
He also said President Biden is "taking the right approach" by not meddling in a federal probe into his son, who was indicted by special counsel David Weiss in connection with a gun he purchased in 2018, the first time in US history the Justice Department has charged the child of a sitting president.
Republicans, Newsom derisively said, are "worried about gun crimes, which is remarkable."
McCarthy's move to open an impeachment inquiry, which he said would allow further investigation into "allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption," came even though House GOP-led investigations have yet to provide any direct evidence that the president financially benefited from Hunter Biden's career overseas.
"This is a joke. Ready, fire, aim," Newsom said. "I mean, this is a perversity with what the founding fathers ever conceived of and imagined. So, if that's the best they could do, give me a break."
