Top House Republicans call impeachment talk Democratic 'scam'

House Republicans leaders said Tuesday they have no connection to calls to impeach President Obama and such a notion is merely a Democratic fundraising “scam.”

“Let me be very clear, this is not and never was on the table,” said Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Though Walden called the impeachment issue a “White House and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraising scam,” he acknowledged it has been “pretty successful.”

The DCCC says it has raised $3.1 million since Thursday, including $1 million on Monday alone.

DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve Israel of New York boasted on Twitter that Monday’s haul was the committee’s “single biggest online fundraising day of the cycle.”

While Walden tried to distance Republican leaders from the impeachment issue, he still argued Obama and administration officials continue to “overreach” on their Constitutional authority and that Americans are “clamoring” for them to be reined in.

In a roundtable meeting on Capitol Hill with reporters to discuss the midterm elections,Walden declined to say how much money his committee has raised from the issue but acknowledged “I’m sure it’s not”as much as the DCCC.

His comments followed House Speaker John Boehner earlier Tuesday calling talk of chamber Republicans wanting to impeach Obama “a scam started by Democrats at the White House."

“Talk about impeachment is coming from the president’s own staff and coming from Democrats on Capitol Hill,” the Ohio Republican said.

The DCCC immediately responded with a list of congressional Republicans and candidates for Congress who they say have for years “raised the specter of impeachment,” including 2008 vice presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The group also pointed out that incoming House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., declined on “Fox News Sunday” to rule out the House trying to impeach Obama.