Republican US House to hold first Biden impeachment inquiry hearing

Two days before Congress’s deadline to prevent a government shutdown, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives will have its initial hearing on Thursday in its impeachment investigation against Democratic President Joe Biden.

Biden’s financial links to his troublesome son Hunter Biden, 53, who pursued a variety of foreign business endeavors while battling drug and alcohol addiction, are unlikely to be made public during the House Oversight Committee hearing.

Instead, according to James Comer, the panel’s head, it will act as a sort of rationale for the investigation and a review of the information Republicans have discovered thus far.

A forensic accountant, a former representative of the U.S. Justice Department, and a law professor will testify before lawmakers.

Republicans claim that between 2009 and 2017, while serving as Vice President under former President Barack Obama, Biden and his family directly benefited from the policies he promoted. They assert that the Justice Department obstructed Hunter Biden’s tax inquiry.

They have not yet offered proof of the older Biden’s unlawful behavior. Before the 2024 presidential election, when Biden would probably face a rematch with Republican Donald Trump, who faces four upcoming criminal trials, the White House claims the investigation is unjustified and motivated by politics.

After the investigation, it is uncertain if House Republicans, who hold a slim 221-212 majority, would have the support necessary to support formal impeachment. Even though Democrats control the Senate with a 51-49 majority, it is exceedingly doubtful that they would vote to impeach Biden even if that vote were to pass.

Allegations that Biden, in his capacity as vice president, exerted pressure on Ukraine to dismiss a senior prosecutor because the prosecutor was looking into Burisma, a business Hunter Biden served on the board of directors for, are at the crux of the inquiry.

However, Petro Poroshenko, the former president of Ukraine, said on Saturday that was not the case.

The president’s brother, James Biden’s personal and corporate bank records will be sought, according to House Republicans.

According to a report on Tuesday by the House Oversight Committee, bank transfers sent to Hunter from Chinese nationals listed Joe Biden’s Delaware home address as the destination. It is unclear if Biden got the cash.

The hearing occurs while House Republicans and Biden and his fellow Democrats are engaged in a heated debate over government financing for the fiscal year that begins on October 1. Large portions of the government will shut down if they cannot come to a deal.

A protracted closure may slow the impeachment investigation because fewer government personnel would be available to respond to information demands.

According to White House spokesperson Ian Sams, House Republicans prioritize “conspiracy theories” above maintaining the status quo.

The former president Trump has applauded the investigation. Trump was twice impeached during his four years in office, and he is currently charged with four crimes, the first of which is from reportedly encouraging Ukraine to look into Biden before the 2020 presidential race. The Senate cleared Trump on both charges.