House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Monday denied that President Donald Trump last week said China should investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, but insisted that more Americans want an investigation on them than want the president to face impeachment.
"You watch what the president said," the California Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "He's not saying China should investigate."
Trump last week told reporters outside the White House that "China should start an investigation into the Bidens" even though he later said he had not directly asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to investigate them, but said, "it's certainly something we could start thinking about."
Some Republicans have said Trump was joking when he made the remarks, but on Monday, McCarthy said it's time to get to the "clear point."
"If I’m a member of Congress and I break the law and there should be an investigation, and I run for another office, you’d still investigate me," said McCarthy. "More people in America want to investigate what Biden has done and his son, than want to impeach this president. But somehow the Democrats want to deny that.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy said that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had just waited for a whistleblower report and for the White House to release the transcript of the president's conversation with Ukraine's president, there may not be an impeachment inquiry going on now.
If there is to be an inquiry, then Trump should be treated fairly like former Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were treated, said McCarthy.
"The minorities should have subpoena power," he said. "The president's counsel should be able to be in the room, should be able to cross-examine. We should be able to offer some witnesses."