President Joe Biden’s White House invited 45 freshman Republicans to visit the White House on Tuesday night.
“Everyone is invited who is part of the new Congress,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
34 of the 45 new Republican leaders firmly declined, handing an embarrassing rejection to Biden.
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Several Republicans skipped the event due to Biden’s hypocrisy about COVID-19 restrictions.
“President Biden declared on national television that the pandemic was over,” Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt tweeted Tuesday, referring to Biden’s appearance on 60 Minutes last year.
New York Rep. Nick LaLota said in a statement, “I am forgoing a historic trip to the White House to raise awareness of this punitive policy in hopes that President Biden will reverse it and other arbitrary, outdated and unscientific restrictions across the federal system,” ”
Some Republicans have remained tight-lipped about their rationale for skipping the event. Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen ignored Fox News Digital’s request for comment, and so did the embattled New York Rep. George Santos.
The Republicans recently won a majority in the House, and the chamber’s oversight committee appears to be preparing investigations into Biden’s classified documents and his son’s highly controversial finances.
“A new Harvard poll shows 65 percent of Americans believe the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop should be investigated,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said on NBC News earlier this month. “Let me be clear: We’re not investigating Hunter Biden. We’re investigating Joe Biden.”
Meanwhile, Biden may formerly announce a re-election campaign soon. A presidential election can harden these partisan lines.
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Only 11 Republicans accepted Biden’s invitation, according to the count by Fox News.
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt reportedly appeared at the White House, and so did Michigan Rep. John James, a potential candidate for next year’s Senate race in the state.
Still, Biden has apparently earned some skepticism from this Congress, following two years of Democrat control over both houses.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.