The US Congress agreed on Wednesday to open a formal investigation into the possible impeachment of President Joe Biden over his son’s controversial business dealings abroad, an initiative the president called a “baseless political ploy.”
This measure has no practical chance of success, but it represents an obstacle for the White House when the search for Biden’s re-election in the 2024 presidential elections begins.
Members of the Republican Party, which has enjoyed a majority in the House of Representatives since January of this year, accuse the Democratic President of exploiting his influence when he was Vice President Barack Obama (2009-2017) to allow his son Hunter to do so. Business in China and Ukraine.
“Joe Biden has repeatedly lied to the American people.” House Investigation Committee Chairman James Comer was charged, Agence France-Presse reported.
The president, his son, and the Democratic Party in general deny these accusations.
“Instead of doing their job (…) they decided to waste time with this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress realize is not supported by facts,” Biden said in a statement minutes after the vote.
A few hours ago, his son Hunter held an unusual news conference on the steps of the Capitol in which he defended his father.
“Let me say it as clearly as possible: “My father was not financially involved in my business,” Hunter said. Which has become a favorite target of conservatives.
Before Congress Hunter admitted that he “made mistakes” in his lifeRather, they accused “Trumpists,” i.e. supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump, of… Trying to “strip him of his humanity” in order to “hurt” his father.
For this reason, he refused to attend a closed session organized by Republicans, who wanted him to appear before Congress.
The 81-year-old president has long publicly supported Hunter Biden, saying on numerous occasions that he is “proud” of him.
A similar investigation was opened against the Democratic president a few months ago. This came at the request of members of Congress close to TrumpWho may be his competitor in the 2024 elections.
At the end of September, a first parliamentary session was held during which experts agreed that there was currently no justification for impeaching President Biden.
“There is no evidence that President Biden committed any reprehensible act,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries added on Wednesday.
Republicans believe that formally opening the investigation, which was approved only by their votes, constitutes a new possibility to criminalize the Democratic leader.
“It is time to provide answers to the American people.”Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday after the vote. He warned that this investigation would not be taken “seriously.”
The United States Constitution states that Congress can impeach a president for treason, corruption, and other serious crimes.
It is a two-stage procedure. After conducting the investigation, The House of Representatives votes, by a simple majority, on articles of impeachment with details of the facts that shame the president: what is known as a political trial or “impeachment” in English.
If the president is impeached, the Senate will try the president. If the matter reaches this stage, it is very likely that Biden will be acquitted, because his party has the majority.
In the history of the United States, no president has been impeached.
Several of them have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021, but were acquitted.
Richard Nixon preferred to resign in 1974 to avoid the possibility of impeachment by Congress due to the Watergate scandal.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elfinanciero/4ZBDDFFNL5GX7GAR7OLBIKIEKM.jpeg)