The White House has sent a letter to top US news executives, calling for increased scrutiny of House Republicans after Speaker Kevin McCarthy initiated an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, despite no evidence of a crime. The letter, obtained by CNN, stated that an impeachment inquiry without supporting evidence should raise alarm bells for news organizations. It was sent to executives of major news organizations, including CNN, The New York Times, and Fox News. House Republicans have consistently attempted to portray Biden as corrupt and engaged in sinister activities, despite the lack of evidence. The White House urged news organizations to provide clear and accurate coverage of the impeachment inquiry and to avoid false equivalency in reporting.
In the letter, the White House criticized news organizations for failing to robustly call out the misinformation and disinformation spread by Republicans. While fact checks have been published on the matter, the White House believes that news organizations should do more to combat the lies that saturate public discourse. The White House specifically asked news organizations to refrain from covering impeachment as a mere process story without delving into the illegitimacy of the claims made by House Republicans. They emphasized the importance of the independent press in holding those in power accountable and expressed concern that process stories could generate confusion and obscure the truth.
The impeachment inquiry was launched by McCarthy without a formal House vote in order to appease far-right Republicans who have threatened to remove him from his speakership if he does not act swiftly on such an investigation. However, the Republican-led investigations into Biden have yet to provide direct evidence of the president financially benefiting from Hunter Biden’s overseas career. The White House’s letter serves as a plea to news organizations to intensify their scrutiny of House Republicans and provide accurate coverage that dispels falsehoods.
