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Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, has initiated an impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden, intensifying the political turmoil in the country leading up to the upcoming election.
On Tuesday, McCarthy’s announcement came under mounting pressure from allies of Donald Trump within the party to take a more aggressive stance against Biden. However, some Republicans expressed concern that this move could alienate moderate and swing voters.
During a press conference, McCarthy accused the US president of lying “to the American people about his knowledge of his family’s business affairs”.
“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption,” McCarthy stated.
He disclosed that James Comer, chair of the House oversight committee, and Jim Jordan, chair of the House judiciary committee, would lead the inquiry. Both have been conducting investigations into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
If impeachment proceedings in the House and a subsequent trial in the Senate occur, they could dominate the political agenda, diverting attention from Trump’s criminal indictments as he runs for the presidency again in 2024.
The White House has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Many Democrats perceive this move as a thinly veiled attempt to seek retribution for the two impeachments Trump faced during his tenure as president, as well as the multiple criminal charges he currently faces.
“House Republicans have been conducting investigations into the president for nine months, and have found no evidence of wrongdoing,” stated the White House, adding, “This is extreme politics at its worst.”
If the House, where the Republicans hold a slim majority, decides to impeach Biden, it will be the third impeachment of a president in less than five years, indicative of the growing polarization of US politics. Throughout the history of the United States, only four presidents have faced impeachment, with none being convicted.
Trump was acquitted by the Senate after being impeached by the House in 2021 and 2019. Prior to him, Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998, highlighting the heightened tensions between Republicans and Democrats. The only other president to be impeached was Andrew Johnson in the 1860s.
The crucial aspect Republicans will attempt to prove is direct involvement by Biden in securing business deals for his son over the years. However, they have yet to provide evidence of such actions.
A potential plea deal for Hunter Biden fell through in July, opening the door for a possible indictment. The charges against Hunter Biden include alleged tax evasion and illegal possession of firearms.
Republicans have also long been investigating the president’s son regarding his connections to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company on which he served as a board member, and his alleged attempts to capitalize on the family name to further his business interests.
Trump has been urging McCarthy to initiate impeachment proceedings against Biden, attempting to depict the president as “corrupt” in the same way he did with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race.
However, some Republicans have expressed unease about the Biden impeachment inquiry.
“We can either waste our time on unimportant issues or focus on those that matter,” stated Ken Buck, a Republican congressman from Colorado, during an interview with MSNBC. Buck recognized the difficulty of convicting Biden in the Democrat-controlled Senate, which would require a supermajority of votes.
The initiation of the impeachment inquiry comes just a few weeks before the September 30 deadline for Congress to approve government funding or face a shutdown of federal operations and offices. Some Republicans had threatened to vote against government funding unless McCarthy initiated an impeachment inquiry.
McCarthy was elected as the Speaker of the House after 15 rounds of voting this year, following concessions made to appease the right flank of the party.
These included supporting a rule that allows any member of Congress to call for a vote of no confidence in him or any future Speaker.
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