Power struggle in the USA - The Republicans want to officially remove Biden from office - how do they want to do that?
The Republicans in the US House of Representatives are pressing ahead with investigations into possible impeachment proceedings against US President Joe Biden. They accuse the Democrat of having abused his public office for the financial benefit of his family. On Wednesday (local time), the House of Representatives voted with a Republican majority to continue and "formalize" the ongoing investigation into Biden.
This is a technical step that the Republicans hope will give them more legal leverage. It does not open impeachment proceedings. The Republicans have not yet presented any clear evidence of serious misconduct. Biden himself once again rejected the accusations: "Instead of doing something to improve the lives of Americans, they are focusing on attacking me with lies."
Joe Biden: Republicans are "wasting" their time
The President accused the Republicans of failing to act on important issues such as authorizing more Ukraine aid. Instead, they were wasting their time with a "political stunt".
The members of the House of Representatives voted 221 to 212 in favor of formally opening the investigation. The Democrats voted unanimously against it. The now ousted Republican chairman of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, had initiated the investigation in September. However, he was reluctant to put it to a vote in the House of Representatives. His concern was that some more moderate Republicans might vote against it. This has now not happened.
Vote in the House of Representatives should create a legal basis
The Republicans involved in the investigation argued last week that they lacked the necessary legal basis for subpoenas or document requests. It is true that the White House had handed over documents. In the opinion of the Republicans, however, these are not sufficient. The Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, said that the vote would help to "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. The latter pushed for the investigation to be made official. The current vote ensures that the investigations are likely to continue throughout the entire campaign for the 2024 presidential election.
It is questionable whether impeachment proceedings will actually take place at the end of the investigation. This would first require a majority in the House of Representatives. Although the Republicans have a narrow majority there, several more moderate Republicans have recently expressed criticism of the plan. They could possibly shy away from actually opening proceedings. Even in the event of success 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 considered impossible that the President could ultimately be found guilty and removed from office.
Focus on Biden's son Hunter
A number of Republicans have repeatedly linked the president to the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden. On Wednesday morning (local time), Hunter Biden, who is on trial for possible tax offenses, among other things, appeared before the US Congress and offered to testify in a public hearing on the impeachment investigation against his father. The Republicans had subpoenaed him to testify behind closed doors. However, he refused for strategic reasons. "Let me say as clearly as I can that my father was not financially involved in my business dealings," emphasized Hunter Biden.
Former US President Donald Trump repeatedly called on his party colleagues in the past to initiate impeachment proceedings against Biden. During Trump's time 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 proceedings in the Senate - one due to allegations of abuse of power and one due to 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.
In the meantime, the campaign for the next presidential election is also underway, in which Biden and Trump want to become candidates for their parties. Trump is facing four criminal charges in the middle of the election campaign - two of them in connection with his attempts to retroactively reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
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- The Republicans in the US House of Representatives are aiming to use the formalized investigation as a legal tool to compel key individuals to testify during the probe against President Joe Biden.
- The ongoing investigation into Biden's alleged misuse of public office for his family's financial benefit gained momentum with a Republican-majority vote in the House of Representatives.
- Kevin McCarthy, the former chairman of the House of Representatives, had previously initiated the investigation in September but avoided putting it to a vote due to concerns about moderate Republican opposition.
- Democrats have expressed strong opposition to the investigation, with all voting against its formalization, while Hunter Biden, under investigation for tax offenses, suggested he may testify in a public hearing if offered the opportunity.
- Backing from more conservative Republicans led to the official vote, ensuring the investigations are likely to continue throughout the entire 2024 presidential election campaign for both Biden and his potential Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.
- The opportunity to remove President Biden from office through impeachment proceedings seems unlikely, as Republicans need a majority vote in the House of Representatives and the senate to succeed, and several moderate Republicans have recently raised concerns about the plan.
Source: www.stern.de
