CNN’s Jim Acosta Pounds Pro-Impeachment GOP Rep — Who Admits It’s ‘Not Gonna Happen’

CNN anchor Jim Acosta got into it with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) over the flagging Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, and other family members — which Burchett admits is not going to result in impeachment.

The House Oversight Committee held another hearing this week in an impeachment inquiry that is widely seen as faltering, even among conservative-leaning media outlets and Republicans. The hearing featured testimony from witnesses like Tony Bobulinski and Lev Parnas, and fireworks from the parties.

On Friday’s edition of CNN Newsroom, Acosta relentlessly tore down the GOP case as he pounded Burchett over his insistence he would vote to impeach the president if a vote were called:

JIM ACOSTA: Let me ask you about the Biden impeachment inquiry. You’re on the House Oversight Committee. Yesterday you told NewsNation, quote, we’re not going to have the votes. That’s clearly the case.

Is the impeachment inquiry over? Should you — should the Republicans give that up?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: Well, I don’t know about the impeachment inquiry. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. But I wish we would vote on it regardless. Honestly, Jim. You know, you know where I come from? East Tennessee. It’s a conservative area. I’m willing to vote on it.

I wish these other members would vote on it so they can quit saying up here that they’re not for it, and then go home and tell all their their folks at the Reagan night dinners and Lincoln night dinners that, you know, that going on for impeachment. I’m going to vote, but they don’t have the guts to do it.

JIM ACOSTA: Would you vote for impeachment?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: Heck yes I would. You saw the money come in from China. $20 million that’s paying this family. It’s going 10% to the big guy. There’s enough there. It’s, but what about, but the reality is —

JIM ACOSTA: What about the fact that one of the House Republicans main witnesses was Alexander Smirnov, who was just indicted for lying to the FBI. And prosecutors say he had Russian intelligence contacts. You’re going to vote to impeach the president based on that?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: One of, that was one of, we had multiple a year. You’re forgetting about the 20 for that, the 20 bank accounts, the 20 shadow companies that they’d created to run this money through the hundreds of letters —

JIM ACOSTA: Where, where’s —

REP. TIM BURCHETT: — from bankers saying that this is illegal. Look, it doesn’t really matter. You and I are going to disagree with it. The reality is, is that this isn’t going to come to a vote.

JIM ACOSTA: But you’re going to vote on —

REP. TIM BURCHETT: — have the guts to do anything. Yeah, it’s the reality of it. Let’s move on. Let’s see if we can maybe move on with some criminal investigations in this. But this is what the Committee of Jurisdiction does. If you remember that —

JIM ACOSTA: There was a criminal investigation of one of the witnesses, Smirnov. I mean, he’s been indicted for lying to the FBI. It sounds like this, the investigation is not working out the way the House Republicans thought it would.

REP. TIM BURCHETT: You’re basing that on one person, Jim. Yeah. If we had the majority, this would, this would be, this would go, there was a —

JIM ACOSTA: Wasn’t there another witness testifying from prison?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: Absolutely. Just like the Democrats have done in the past. But you’re discounting all the other, you’re discounting Tony Bobulinski, a decorated naval officer who quoted dates, names, times, places, everything. And yet his his testimony means nothing. I think, you know, it’s —

JIM ACOSTA: But, congressman —

REP. TIM BURCHETT: — of one side. You’re a liar. You know what side I’m on and I can’t change.

JIM ACOSTA: I know I hear you, but aren’t a lot of Americans watching from home and saying, okay, the government is on the verge of a shutdown. The Defense Department budget is in limbo. The homeland security budget is in limbo. And the House Republicans are chasing an impeachment based on a guy who’s been indicted for lying to the FBI and somebody who’s testifying at a hearing from prison. Doesn’t that sound absurd?

REP. TIM BURCHETT: Well, I tell you what, it sounds absurd is is the Democrats for a year where we’re investigating the Washington Redskins over the name Redskins. That’s what this committee was doing before under Democrat leadership.

This is the jurisdiction of this committee. We’re not going to investigate potholes in this committee. That’s Transportation. It’s under that committee.

JIM ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Tim Burchett, I know you’ve got a busy day ahead of you. Appreciate the time, as always. Good to talk to you.

Watch above via CNN Newsroom.