Kevin McCarthy speaking outside the Speakers Balcony at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. AFP

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, responding to enormous GOP pressure to demonstrate support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

In remarks Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. So far, he acknowledged, the House's probes have not proven any wrongdoing, but an impeachment inquiry "allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth.”

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.

"We will follow this to the end,” he said, first floating the idea late Monday on Fox News.

It's the strongest comment yet from McCarthy on a potential Biden impeachment after the Republican leader sidelined earlier efforts by House conservatives to launch such an inquiry.

With a slim majority in the House, McCarthy faces demands from Trump allies to elevate their priorities. Trump himself questioned at a Fox News town hall last week why Biden has not yet been impeached.

McCarthy has not yet endorsed Trump, who is the GOP's early frontrunner for president, or any other Republican candidates. He denied a report that he is considering House votes to expunge Trump’s two impeachments as another way of showing support.

McCarthy on Tuesday gave no timeline for launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden and said he hadn't spoken to Trump about it. He declined to say if he would be making a presidential endorsement.

Asked if he felt pressure from Trump, he scoffed, "Do I look like I'm under pressure?”

White House spokesman Ian Sams said the House GOP's "eagerness to go after POTUS regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless," using shorthand for the President of the United States.

"Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the House GOP wants to prioritize,” Sams said on Twitter.

Republicans in Congress have ramped up investigations of Biden and his son Hunter Biden. House Republicans are digging into the family finances, particularly payments the younger Biden received from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that became tangled in the first impeachment of Trump.

Hunter Biden has since reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of having failed to pay income taxes for several years. He is set to appear in court this week in that case.

Associated Press