President Joe Biden is staring down a potential impeachment battle as he runs for re-election, but he said Wednesday he’s focused on other issues.
“I get up every day, not a joke, not focused on impeachment,” Biden said at a campaign reception in Virginia. “I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to deal with the issues that affect the American people every single solitary day.”
That’s in line with the White House’s strategy on impeachment, according to the New York Times, which reports that the White House plans to have Biden’s staff focus on the impeachment fight while he is focused on other policy issues.
On Wednesday morning, the White House issued a memo pushing back on Republicans’ claims of corruption surrounding Biden’s alleged involvement with his son Hunter’s international business dealings. The White House also called on news organizations to “scrutinize House Republicans’ demonstrably false claims”
House Democrats, meanwhile, are preparing to defend the president by distancing him from Hunter, per Politico. And they also are going to aim to portray House Republicans as far-right, and led by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (after her recent meeting with former President Trump) rather than Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
In other campaign news…
DeSantis donors: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is heading to New York for fundraisers with Wall Street executives, per CNBC’s Brian Schwartz. And the Washington Post reports that in late 2018 DeSantis “took at least six undisclosed trips on private jets and accepted lodging and dining” that weren’t disclosed as either gifts or campaign contributions.
Vaccine politics: On Wednesday, DeSantis’ administration advised Florida residents under 65 against receiving the updated Covid vaccine, NBC News’ Aria Bendix and Matt Dixon report, bucking federal guidance.
Backtracking: Former Vice President Mike Pence initially said impeachment inquiries should begin with a full House vote, but then softened his language after McCarthy said he wouldn’t do so, per NBC News’ Sarah Dean.
Polling personnel: Biden named veteran Democratic strategist Mindy Myers as the head of his campaign’s polling operation, per Politico.
Granite State drama: New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said Wednesday that a presidential candidate who “properly submits their paperwork during the filing period and pays the required fee” will appear on his state’s ballot, amid challenges to Trump’s candidacy over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, NBC News’ Emma Barnett reports. In New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, the Democratic National Committee is expected to vote Thursday to give the state more time to comply with its new primary calendar, per Politico.
Debate politics: South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott’s campaign is urging the Republican National Committee to prioritize early state polling in determining the podium placement and qualifying thresholds for future debates, a move that would benefit Scott, who is polling better in states like Iowa than he is nationally.
Should I stay or should I go? The Washington Post reports on West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s private meetings about his political future, with guests including former President Bill Clinton, as he weighs either running for president, running for re-election as an independent or retiring.
Stock trending down: New York Stock Exchange Vice Chair John Tuttle won’t run for Senate in Michigan, Politico reports.
An uphill battle: Democrat Ryan Busse, a former firearm executive who later became a prominent critic of that industry, is running for governor in Montana, where he hopes to upset GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte.
