The US House of Representatives will open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, its most senior Republican has said. The said inquiry would focus on “allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption” by Mr Biden as the election-year clash between Congress and the White House unfolds.
Republicans have been investigating the President since they took control of the House in January although the hearings have found no concrete evidence of misconduct by Mr Biden till now. However, they have shed more light on the business dealings made by the President’s son Hunter Biden – which Republicans say are questionable – and on Mr Biden’s knowledge of his son’s dubious activities.
In a brief statement at the US Capitol, McCarthy said that there were “serious and credible” allegations involving the President’s conduct. “Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption,” he said.
The White House openly condemned Mr McCarthy’s decision. “House Republicans have been investigating the President for nine months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. Extreme politics at its worst,” Ian Sams, White House spokesperson wrote in a post.
McCarthy, a California lawmaker, also alleged that the President’s family has received special treatment from Biden administration officials investigating allegations of misconduct. Hunter Biden is currently facing federal investigation for possible tax crimes mostly related to his foreign business interests. The White House has denied its involvement in the Hunter Biden case in any way whatsoever and stated that President Biden has no links to his son’s business dealings and operations.
This inquiry will give Congress investigators a greater legal authority to investigate the President, including by issuing subpoenas for documents and testimonies that are easier to be enforced in the court. The US Constitution states a president can be impeached for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanours”, a process which can end in them being removed from office.
However, any effort to remove Biden from the post of POTUS is unlikely to succeed.
For this, the House of Representatives, where the Republicans hold a narrow majority of 222-212, would need to vote in favour. Only then, would they need to proceed to a Senate trial and vote. Democrats have a majority in the Senate, and would most certainly shoot down the proceedings even if it gets that far.
Donald Trump, the only US president to have been impeached twice, was acquitted both times by his fellow Republicans. However, he now faces more serious charges in court, being charged with trials four times this year, which includes his attempt to overturn the 2020 election that Biden won.
Wing members to open an impeachment inquiry
Mr McCarthy, who as Speaker leads the Republicans in the House, has been lobbied for weeks by right-wing members to open an impeachment inquiry.
Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida, a close ally of former US President Donald Trump, referred to the decision as “a baby step following weeks of pressure from House conservatives to do more”. He had, in the past, threatened to force a vote and remove McCarthy from his leadership position if the Speaker did not necessarily start an impeachment investigation.
McCarthy’s hold on power in the House has been shaky ever since he won the top job in January after 15 rounds of voting were held in the chamber setting a modern record. He is currently trying to steer a series of spending bills through the House. These measures must be approved by Congress by the end of September to avoid a partial shutdown of the US government.
Mr McCarthy’s decision to opt for an impeachment could be viewed as an attempt to curry the favour of right-wing House Republicans ahead of the upcoming budget battles. Such a strategy comes with risks, however. Centrist Republicans from competitive districts have expressed uncomfort to an aggressive impeachment push, being worried that it will alienate the independent and moderate voters who carried them to victory. Notably, McCarthy has a 10-seat majority in the chamber, so if even a handful of these Republicans remain numb on the impeachment, it could ensure its failure.
Some vulnerable Republicans of the House informed the reporters that they are focused on the ongoing congressional investigations into Mr Biden, rather than an impeachment inquiry.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons said in an interview, “Speaker McCarthy shows that he’s being held hostage by the most extreme elements of his Republican majority.” Already Democrats are pointing out that Mr McCarthy sharply criticised Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in 2019 when she announced an impeachment inquiry into Mr Trump without holding a formal vote.
While Mr McCarthy has informed that he is only approving an impeachment inquiry at this point, pressure may build for a formal authorising vote in the House to set the rules for impeachment hearings. Such a vote would put those centrists on the forefront – and provide push to the Democratic attacks during the November 2024 general election.
However, that is a next-year problem for McCarthy. For the moment, he is trying to keep the conservative members of Congress quite and stop them from openly rebelling – and forcing a vote on whether to remove him from his job or not. Impeachment – or at least a step towards it – could buy him the breathing space to survive the upcoming months of political turbulence.
What is an impeachment inquiry?
An impeachment inquiry is an investigation into the possible wrongdoings by a federal official, such as the US President, Cabinet officials, or even judges. The process is mentioned in the Constitution and remains the most powerful check that Congress has over the executive branch.
While the House of Representatives yields the power to impeach a federal official, but only the Senate has the ability to convict and remove an individual from his office term.
Till date, no President has ever been removed from the White House through impeachment. but former Republican President Richard Nixon did resign in 1974 as the House was preparing to have a vote on impeachment articles against him.
How long will the inquiry take?
There are no rules as to how long an impeachment inquiry can or must last. The probe into Biden may last as short as a few months or even as long as a year, depending upon what McCarthy and the other Republican leaders believe is the right time to conclude or move to the articles of impeachment.
The only real deadline for the inquiry would be the end of this Congress term, which is January 2, 2025.
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