Victor Ezeja
AdminThe United States House of Representatives voted Wednesday to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, escalating Republicans’ battle with Democrats ahead of the 2024 election. This development could give the GOP more legal firepower to investigate Biden’s family’s business dealings.
The 221-212 party-line vote put the entire House Republican conference on record in support of an impeachment proceeding that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president: punishment for what the Constitution describes as “high crimes and misdemeanors,” which can lead to removal from office if convicted in a Senate trial.
Biden has slammed the impeachment effort as a “baseless” stunt, questioning the priorities of House Republicans in pursuing an inquiry against him and his family.
“Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies. Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts,” the President said shortly after the vote.
Republicans, seizing on Biden’s son Hunter’s controversial international dealings, have yet to provide evidence of corruption by the president who is campaigning for reelection. Although, the House Republicans may just be out to deflect attention from the federal criminal trials facing Biden’s almost certain challenger Donald Trump.
Conservatives accuse Biden’s troubled son Hunter of influence-peddling — effectively trading on the family name in pay-to-play schemes during his business dealings in Ukraine and China. The allegations against Hunter Biden refer to incidents that took place before his father became president, and the White House has stressed there has been no wrongdoing.
Authorizing the monthslong inquiry means that the impeachment investigation extends well into 2024, when Biden will be running for reelection. Trump, who wields a huge influence in the party, has pushed his GOP allies in Congress to move swiftly on impeaching Biden.
According to House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Republican leadership, “As President Biden continues to stonewall lawful Congressional subpoenas, today’s vote of the full House of Representatives authorizing the inquiry puts us in the strongest position to enforce these subpoenas in court.
“The American people deserve answers. This impeachment inquiry will help us find them,” they said in a joint statement.
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