House is ready to approve Biden’s impeachment inquiry as it hunts for wrongdoing
The Republican-led House is on track to approve a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Wednesday, continuing a year-long investigation of the Republican Party that has failed to produce evidence of anything approaching serious crimes or misdemeanors.
Republicans say the vote, expected tonight, is needed to give them full authority to conduct their investigation amid expected legal challenges from the White House. Democrats have dismissed the investigation as a fishing expedition and a political stunt.
Republican leaders have for months refrained from calling a vote to open an impeachment inquiry, given reservations among mainstream Republicans, many of them from politically competitive districts, about moving forward without evidence that Mr. Biden has done anything wrong. But the political ground has shifted significantly, and most of them are now willing to do so, emphasizing that they are not yet ready to indict the president.
“Voting for an impeachment inquiry does not equate to impeachment,” Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, said at a news conference Tuesday. “We will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead, and if they reveal evidence of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps toward impeachment be considered. ”
Since gaining the majority, Republicans in the House of Representatives have investigated numerous aspects of Biden’s family and administration, looking for evidence that could be used to prove he is corrupt and should be impeached. Former President Donald J. Trump, still fuming over being impeached twice, has pushed for their investigation every step of the way.
The Republican investigation has focused heavily on the president’s son, Hunter Biden, who faces federal tax and gun charges, and the work he did for companies and partners in Ukraine, China and other countries. They are also investigating whether the Biden administration interfered with the Justice Department’s investigation into Hunter Biden and whether President Biden mishandled confidential documents while he was vice president or as a senator.
Using their subpoena power, Republicans obtained more than 36,000 pages of bank records; 2,000 pages of suspicious activity reports from the Treasury Department; and dozens of hours of testimony from two of Hunter Biden’s business associates, a senior National Archives and Records Administration official, seven federal agents and three U.S. attorneys.
“Republicans’ year-long fishing expedition has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden,” said Representative Dan Goldman, Democrat of New York.
The resolution on the impeachment inquiry does not accuse Mr. Biden of any wrongdoing. It authorizes three Republican-led panels to continue their investigation and petition the court for grand jury materials; approves subpoenas and retroactively approves a slew that has already been issued; and allows external consultants to be hired to assist in the investigation.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who has accused Mr. Biden of corruption, said lawmakers are focused on investigating four areas: the millions of dollars that Hunter Biden and James Biden, the president’s brother, received from foreign business deals; false or misleading statements Elder Biden made about his son’s work; incidents in which the elder Mr. Biden met or spoke with his son’s business associates; and about $240,000 that the elder Mr. Biden received from his relatives in repayment for loans.
Republicans have so far worked unsuccessfully to prove that President Biden was enriched by his son’s business dealings. In fact, many of the documents they have produced so far have shown the opposite: that Mr. Biden lent money to his son and brother when they were in need, and that they later paid him back.
The House Oversight Committee released documents showing that one of Hunter Biden’s companies, Owasco PC, made three $1,380 payments to Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2018. did when he was not in office. Republicans called the payments evidence of corruption. Other documents indicate the money was to repay his father for helping cover the cost of a Ford truck.
Republicans have scheduled a deposition Wednesday morning with Hunter Biden, who has resisted testifying behind closed doors because he said he fears Republicans will selectively leak parts of his testimony. Instead, Hunter Biden has insisted on testifying publicly.
But Republicans have rejected that offer and are threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress if he doesn’t meet their demands.
In a briefing with reporters, Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, also laid out his plan to bring in nine more witnesses for questioning within two months.
He said Republicans are investigating whether Biden took bribes, abused his power, engaged in other misconduct or obstructed their investigation. Mr. Jordan suggested that false statements the president has made about his son’s business interests — such as his claim that Hunter Biden had not received money from China — could prove an impediment.
“We will look at all the facts and make a decision,” Mr Jordan said. “Was it a hindrance when Joe Biden said all the things he has said that turned out to be wrong?”