Republicans launch impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden

(Patria) - The House of Representatives approved an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, AP reported. A party-line vote of 221 to 212 put all Republicans in the House on one side in support of an impeachment process 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 the Senate.

Biden, in a rare statement on impeachment, questioned the priorities of House Republicans in pursuing an investigation into him and his family.

"Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies," the president said after the vote.

"Instead of doing their jobs on the urgent business 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 the facts," he added.

The authorization of the months-long investigation ensures the impeachment inquiry will extend into 2024, when Biden will be running for re-election and appears likely to face former President Donald Trump, who went through the process twice during his time in the White House.

Trump has urged his allies in the Republican ranks to move forward with impeaching Biden, part of his broader calls for vengeance and retribution against his political enemies.

The decision to hold a vote came as Speaker Mike Johnson and his team faced increasing pressure to show progress in what has become a nearly year-long investigation centered on the business dealings of Biden family members. While their investigation has raised ethical questions, no evidence has emerged that Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes in his current role or previous role as vice president.

"We do not take this responsibility lightly, and we will not prejudge the outcome of the investigation," said Speaker Mike Johnson and his team in a joint statement after the vote. "But the evidentiary record is impossible to ignore," they added.

House Democrats unanimously opposed the inquiry resolution, calling it a sham perpetrated by the other side to retaliate for two impeachments against Trump.

Democrats and the White House have repeatedly defended the cooperation of the president and his administration with the investigation, saying it has already made a vast amount of documents available. Congressional investigators have obtained nearly 40,000 pages of subpoenaed bank records and dozens of hours of testimony from key witnesses, including several senior Justice Department officials tasked with investigating the president's son, Hunter Biden.

While Republicans say their investigation is ultimately aimed at the president himself, they have shown particular interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas dealings, accusing the president of personally profiting. Republicans have also focused much of their investigation on whistleblower allegations of interference in the Justice Department's long-running investigation into younger Biden's taxes and his use of firearms.

Hunter Biden is currently facing criminal charges in two federal jurisdictions from a special counsel investigation.
He is accused of possessing a firearm in Delaware, specifically violating laws against drug users in 2018 who are not allowed to possess firearms, during a period when he has admitted to struggling with addiction. Special Counsel David Weiss filed additional charges last week, alleging he failed to pay about $1.4 million in taxes over a three-year period.

Democrats have acknowledged that while the president's son is not perfect, he is a private citizen whom the justice system is already holding accountable.

"I mean, there's a lot of evidence that Hunter Biden has done a lot of inappropriate things. He's been charged, he's going to be tried," said Jerry Nadler.

"There is no evidence that the president has done anything inappropriate."

Hunter Biden made a statement outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, saying he would not appear for a scheduled private deposition that morning. He defended himself against years of Republican attacks and said his father had no financial involvement in his business dealings.

His lawyer offered Biden to testify publicly, citing concerns that Republicans were manipulating any private testimony.

"Republicans don't want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless investigations, or hear what I have to say," Biden said outside the Capitol. "What are they afraid of? I'm here."

Republicans said that since Hunter Biden did not appear, they would initiate proceedings against him for contempt of Congress.

"He just got himself into more trouble today," Representative James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters on Wednesday.