Jill Biden tells Hillary Clinton ‘you are so loved’ in her first public White House appearance since losing to Trump in 2016 – then ignores question about husband Joe’s impeachment inquiry

Jill Biden did not answer a question about husband Joe Biden’s impeachment as she hosted an event with Hillary Clinton at the White House, but assured the former secretary of state that she was very “liked” by Democrats in the room.

The first lady smiled at a reporter who inquired about Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to open an impeachment inquiry against the president, but did not stop to comment on the matter.

“It is an honor to welcome you back to the White House,” Jill Biden told Hillary Clinton during the East Room event. And as the crowd erupted in cheers and cheers, the first lady told her, “You are so loved.”

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden remained in hiding on Tuesday and made no public appearances at the White House. The only event on his public schedule was his daily intelligence briefing, although the public schedule does not reflect all of the president’s activities for the day.

The White House called a lid shortly after 2 p.m. ET, meaning there would be no public activities by the president, who returned late Monday night from his trip to India and Vietnam. That was a few hours after McCarthy made his impeachment announcement.

The last Democratic president to be impeached was Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton. Republican President Donald Trump was impeached twice. Neither president was convicted by the Senate.

Hillary Clinton was at the White House on Tuesday for her first public appearance at the presidential residence and workplace since her 2016 election loss to Donald Trump.

The former secretary of state made a private appearance at the White House in 2021 for a dinner honoring then-outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel early in Biden’s term.

Biden and Clinton honored the 2023 Praemium Imperiale Laureates. The Praemium Imperiale is a global art prize presented annually by the Japan Art Association for lifetime achievement in the arts. The Praemium Imperiale Laureates were first celebrated at the White House by President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton in 1994.

It was a Clinton-friendly crowd. Clinton’s longtime aide Huma Abedin was spotted in the audience; former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close friend of both Clintons; Capricia Marshall, Clinton White House aide; and former Rep. Jerry Moran, a close Clinton ally.

Actress Debra Messing and ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov were also present at the event.

In her comments, Jill Biden also references the fact that Hillary Clinton is returning to the classroom. The former secretary of state teaches a class on global decision-making at Columbia University.

The first lady, who teaches at Northern Virginia Community College, noted that Clinton was now a “fellow educator.”

“Good luck this semester,” she told her.

Clinton thanked the first lady for hosting the event at the White House and paid tribute to her dual work as first lady and educator.

She made no mention of her own presidential race or former President Trump.

‘You know, Dr. Biden travels the United States and around the world on behalf of the American people and I can say from experience that this is an exciting but exhausting job,” Clinton said.

“But through it all, she has remained committed to her first calling as an educator and mentor of young people. As she said, “I recently returned to teaching after 50 years, and I can say it’s a hard enough job without being first lady,” she said.

Earlier Tuesday, McCarthy made the shock announcement that he would launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden, accusing the president of “abuse of power” and involvement in a ‘culture of corruption’ over son Hunter’s foreign business deals.

“Republicans in the House of Representatives have uncovered serious and credible allegations about President Biden’s conduct,” McCarthy said at the Capitol. “Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.”

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. “That is why today I am directing our committee in the House of Representatives to open a formal investigation into the impeachment of President Joe Biden,” he noted.

“This logical next step will give our committees full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public. That’s exactly what we want to know the answers to.’

Republicans have accused Biden and his family of making millions from shell companies that Hunter Biden founded when his father was vice president. Hunter had business deals with an energy company in Ukraine, acquired a stake in a private equity firm in China, and consulted for a Romanian real estate magnate.

The president has denied any involvement in his son’s business activities. But Republicans allege that at least a dozen Biden family members could be involved in a scheme to benefit financially from Biden’s public office.

House investigators are expected to issue subpoenas for the banking records of the president and his family. The Republican Party also claims that Biden had at least 24 conversations with Hunter’s business associates and was referred to as “the big guy” by Hunter’s business associates. And they say Joe Biden used pseudonyms to discuss his activities regarding Ukraine with his son Hunter during his time as vice president.

An investigation is the first step in the impeachment process. It is when evidence is gathered for the articles or charges of impeachment against an official.

It’s a huge step with many pitfalls, including angering Republican moderates and many Republican senators, who are skeptical of the issue and causing friction with the White House as budget negotiations are underway. Congress faces a September 30 deadline to fund the government or it will shut down.

However, McCarthy is under intense pressure from the conservative wing of his party to take such a step, including threats from some of his own Republican lawmakers to remove him from the presidency.

The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden committed any wrongdoing. The president himself has said he was not involved in Hunter’s business deals.

The White House called McCarthy’s move “extreme politics.”

House Republicans have been investigating the president for nine months and have found no evidence of wrongdoing. His own Republican members have said so. He promised to hold a vote to open impeachment proceedings, but now he went bankrupt because he didn’t get support. This is extreme politics at its worst,” White House spokesman for oversight and investigations Ian Sams said in a statement.