The Republicans definitely don’t want to wait until the next election to throw US President Joe Biden out of the White House. However, previous attempts to remove him from office have been unsuccessful. That should now change – by vote.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives are pushing ahead with investigations into possible impeachment proceedings against US President Joe Biden. They accuse the Democrat of abusing his public office for the financial benefit of his family. The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday (local time) with a majority of Republicans to continue and “formalize” the ongoing investigations against Biden.
This is a technical step that Republicans hope will give them more legal leverage. This does not open impeachment proceedings. The Republicans have not yet presented any clear evidence of serious misconduct. Biden himself again rejected the allegations: “Instead of doing something to improve the lives of Americans, they are focused on attacking me with lies.”
Joe Biden: Republicans are “wasting” their time
The president accused Republicans of inaction on important issues such as approving more aid to Ukraine. Instead, they wasted their time on a “political stunt.”
The House of Representatives voted 221 to 212 to formally open the investigation. The Democrats voted unanimously against it. The Republican chairman of the Chamber of Congress, Kevin McCarthy, who has since been fired, initiated the investigation in September. But he shied away from a vote on it in the parliamentary chamber. His concern was that some more moderate Republicans might vote against it. That hasn’t happened now.
Vote in the House of Representatives should create a legal basis
Republicans handling the investigation argued last week that they lacked the necessary legal basis for subpoenas or document requests. The White House had handed over documents. According to the Republicans, however, these are not sufficient. Judiciary Committee Republican Chairman Jim Jordan said the vote helps “get key people to talk to us in a timely manner.”
The new Republican chairman of the chamber, Mike Johnson, gave in to the right wing of his party with the vote. He pushed for the investigation to be made official. The current vote ensures that the investigation will last throughout the entire election campaign for the 2024 presidential election.
It is questionable whether the investigation will actually result in impeachment proceedings. Because this would first require a majority in the House of Representatives. The Republicans have a slim majority there, but several more moderate Republicans have recently expressed criticism of the project. They might shy away from actually opening proceedings. Even if it were successful in the House of Representatives, the other chamber of Congress, the Senate, would then have to decide whether to impeach the President. Biden’s Democrats have a narrow majority there. It is therefore ruled out that the president could ultimately be found guilty and removed from office.
Biden’s son Hunter in focus
Many Republicans repeatedly link the president to the business of his son Hunter Biden. On Wednesday morning (local time), Hunter Biden, who faces charges including possible tax crimes, appeared before the US Congress and offered to testify against his father in a public hearing on the impeachment investigation. The Republicans had summoned him to testify behind closed doors. However, he refused this for strategic reasons. “Let me be as clear as possible that my father had no financial involvement in my business,” Hunter Biden emphasized.
Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on his party colleagues in the past to initiate impeachment proceedings against Biden. During Trump’s term in office, the Democrats in Congress initiated two impeachment proceedings against him. The Republican was the first president in US history to face two such impeachment trials in the Senate – one because of allegations of abuse of power, one because of the violent storming of the US Capitol by his supporters. He was acquitted in both cases by the Senate, where his party was still in charge at the time.
The election campaign for the next presidential election is now underway, in which Biden and Trump want to become their parties’ candidates. Trump is facing four criminal charges in the middle of the election campaign – two of them related to his attempts to retroactively overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
