In the House of Representatives - US Republicans push impeachment investigation against Joe Biden
The US House of Representatives, which is controlled by the opposition Republicans, has formally approved the ongoing investigation into the impeachment of President Joe Biden. A corresponding resolution passed the chamber of Congress on Wednesday with a majority of 221 to 212 votes. The Republicans accuse Biden of being involved in controversial foreign business dealings of his son Hunter. The President rejects this, his Democrats accuse the Republicans of a political maneuver.
It is a technical step that the Republicans hope will give them more legal leverage in their investigations. It does not open impeachment proceedings against the President.
The then Republican Chairman of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, had already ordered "a formal impeachment investigation" against Biden on September 12. However, there was never a vote on this in the plenary session of the chamber. The Republicans have now made up for this in order to put the ongoing investigation on a more stable legal footing - among other things with a view to possible legal disputes regarding the subpoenaing of witnesses and the requesting of documents. The Republicans voted unanimously in favour of formalizing the ongoing investigation, while the Democrats voted against.
Impeachment of Biden is ruled out
A new majority in the House of Representatives would be necessary for a so-called impeachment of the President - in a sense, the impeachment in impeachment proceedings. A two-thirds majority in the Senate would then be required for an actual impeachment. Biden's impeachment is considered impossible, especially as his Democrats hold the majority in the Senate.
The Democrats see the Republicans' actions as revenge by the conservative party for the two impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump during his presidency - and an attempt to damage Biden politically ahead of the presidential election in November next year. Some Republicans accuse the Democrat Biden of abusing his public office for the financial benefit of his family. However, they have not yet presented any clear evidence of serious misconduct. Even numerous Republicans concede that there is no evidence of misconduct on Biden's part. It is questionable whether impeachment proceedings will actually take place at the end of the investigation.
The Republicans accuse Hunter Biden of having exploited his father's important position as Barack Obama's Vice President (2009 to 2017) for business deals in Ukraine and China in the past. They also accuse the current president of being involved in these deals and of having lied to the public.
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- Despite the Republicans' efforts to formalize the impeachment investigation against President Joe Biden in the US House of Representatives, many Democrats view this as a political maneuver aimed at damaging Biden ahead of the presidential election.
- Kevin McCarthy, the then Republican Chairman of the House of Representatives, had previously called for a formal impeachment investigation into Biden on September 12, but a vote on this proposal never occurred.
- With the formal approval of the ongoing investigation into impeachment proceedings against Biden, the Republicans hope to have a stronger legal foundation for their investigations, including the potential subpoenaing of witnesses and requesting of documents.
- The impeachment of Joe Biden is highly unlikely, as a new majority in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds majority in the Senate would be required for an actual impeachment.
- Donald Trump, a former US president, was also subject to impeachment proceedings during his term, which were led primarily by Democrats, and this history is not lost on the current controversy surrounding Biden.
Source: www.stern.de
