California Governor Gavin Newsom mocks Republican efforts to impeach President Joe Biden as ‘student government’

California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, calling the Republican majority’s actions “student government” in a interview with CNN.

Still, Newsom told CNN’s Dana Bash on Monday that he doesn’t like using family connections to make money. Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has made millions of dollars in countries like Ukraine and China, while his father played a significant role in the Obama administration’s foreign policy efforts.

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“If that’s the new standard, there are a lot of people in a lot of industries, not just politics, where people have family members and relationships that they’re trying to take advantage of and get a little bit of influence and advantage in this regard. not unique,” ​​Newsom said.

“I don’t like it any more than you like it or other people, I guess, like it. We want to see a lot less of this,” he said. “But an impeachment inquiry? Give me a break.”

He also said President Biden was “taking the right approach” by not interfering in a federal investigation into his son, who was indicted by special prosecutor David Weiss for a gun he purchased in 2018, the first time in U.S. history the Justice Department has indicted the child of a sitting president.

Republicans, Newsom said derisively, are “concerned about gun crime, which is remarkable.”

McCarthy’s decision to open an impeachment inquiry, which he said would allow further investigation into “allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption,” came even though investigations by The House Republican Party has yet to provide direct evidence that the president benefited financially from Hunter. Biden’s career abroad.

“It’s a joke. Ready, shoot, aim,” Newsom said. “I mean, it’s a perversity of what the founding fathers ever conceived and imagined. So if that’s the best they can do, give me a break.”

Newsom says Harris belongs on 2024 ticket

The California governor, who has been the subject of speculation about 2024 as he has visited Republican-led states in recent months and agreed to a Fox News debate with Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, insisted he would not run for the White House himself.

“The answer is no,” Newsom said. “No ambiguity.”

He also said he hadn’t considered whether he would make a good president. “I’m not that guy. I’m just not that guy,” he said.

His comments come at a difficult time for Biden, who faces concerns from some Democrats over his age and Harris’ performance as vice president. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently did not directly answer the question of whether Harris should remain on the Democratic ticket in 2024.

MORE: Newsom says he doesn’t want to name a replacement for Feinstein

Newsom said that “of course” Harris, a fellow California Democrat, should be the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee.

“The Biden-Harris administration – a masterclass in performance, bipartisan deals on infrastructure, bipartisan deals on guns and the debt ceiling, on CHIPS and the Science Act,” a- he declared. “I mean, by definition, if I think this administration of the last two, two and a half years, has been one of the most remarkable administrations of the last few decades, and she’s a member of this administration, she can claim some deserves it. a lot of this success. The answer is absolutely,” he said.

Newsom said Democrats need to “get out of this kind of navel-gazing about Joe Biden, and let’s get on with it.”

“Let’s get on the train. This train has left the proverbial station,” he said.

GOP Abortion Claims ‘Total BS’

Newsom criticized comments by former President Donald Trump that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” in which the former president claimed that some Democrats support the right to abortion up until and after birth.

“It’s a canard. It’s a political matter. It’s pure stupidity,” he said. “It’s a false flag. This is where they need to go to get out of the mess they’ve created, because they don’t believe in the fundamental choice and freedom of women.”

Newsom said he and many other Democrats support abortion rights until it is viable, or about 24 weeks.

MORE: Abortion pill ruling: What impact does it have on access to mifepristone in California?

However, he added, the government should not be involved, and examples of exceptions to that threshold are “so extreme, so rare, when you literally have viability issues that are deeply personal and painful.”

“In these extremely rare and personal circumstances, something I absolutely believe in, Donald Trump should not make this decision. I should not make this decision,” he said.

Newsom supports UAW workers

Newsom said he supports members of the United Auto Workers union who are striking, saying the United States must close its “fundamental wealth gap.”

“I fully support the striking workers,” he said, while refusing to comment on the details of the negotiations.

He was less willing to discuss the Hollywood writers’ strike, saying he was in a “different position” because of the formal authority and convening power he has as governor of California.

“I’m encouraged by the conversations last weekend. I’m not going to overstate that. And I’m encouraged that they’re meeting again later this week,” he said.

He said the post-coronavirus pandemic economic environment, marked by income disparities, questions about the future role of artificial intelligence and changing business models, has created a “perfect mix of stress” for workers .

This led to “the rise of populist movements on the left and right.” People are frustrated and angry. They think things are rigged,” Newsom said.

“You see this more generally as workers exert more force due to more fear and stress about the world we live in,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think fundamentally it’s a good thing. I believe in collective bargaining. I believe that working families, the working poor, do better when they ‘organize together.’

The-CNN-Wire
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