In a significant move on Wednesday, House Republicans officially sanctioned their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, marking a critical step towards the potential impeachment of the president. The House cast their votes along party lines, with a tally of 221-212 in favor of green-lighting the inquiry.
Republicans have raised allegations suggesting that President Biden financially benefited from his family's foreign business dealings. However, they have yet to publicly release any evidence substantiating these claims. The decision to authorize the inquiry follows House Republicans' accusations of the White House obstructing their investigation. They argue that obtaining authorization may strengthen their legal standing, especially if their requests for information end up in court.
The White House contends that it has fully cooperated with the investigation, providing substantial evidence to counter the House Republicans' allegations. Ian Sams, the White House spokesperson for Oversight and Investigations, dismissed the impeachment inquiry as a "sham investigation divorced from reality."
House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP investigators leading the inquiry emphasize that this is merely an investigation, and House Republicans have not pre-determined whether to draft articles of impeachment against the president.
Johnson clarified at a press conference on Tuesday, "To fulfill our constitutional responsibility, we have to take the next step. We're not making a political decision, it's not. It's a legal decision. We can't prejudge the outcome. The Constitution does not permit us to do so. We have to follow the truth where it takes us."
However, House Democrats have raised questions about the purpose of the investigation, highlighting that Republicans have not produced evidence directly linking Biden to his family's business dealings. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, expressed skepticism, stating, "What is the crime that Joe Biden is being accused of? They don't have it."
The vote to authorize the Republican inquiry coincided with the scheduled Capitol Hill deposition of the president's son, Hunter Biden. However, Hunter Biden defied the subpoena and instead delivered impassioned remarks at a press conference, defending his father and accusing GOP investigators of weaponizing his substance use disorder to attack the president.
Hunter Biden argued, "In the depths of my addiction, I was extremely irresponsible with my finances. But to suggest that is grounds for an impeachment inquiry is beyond the absurd. It's shameless. There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was involved in my business because it did not happen."
Hunter Biden has insisted on testifying in a public hearing rather than behind closed doors. Still, GOP investigators leading the probe are requesting him to testify in a deposition first, citing concerns that Democrats would disrupt public proceedings. The House Oversight Committee has signaled its intention to begin proceedings to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer asserted, "We have specific questions for the president's son. He does not get to dictate the terms of this subpoena."
Several months ago, an impeachment inquiry seemed challenging to garner support from moderate and vulnerable House Republicans, many of whom hail from the 17 districts Biden won in the 2020 election. This lack of support led then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to initiate the probe in September without a formal vote, criticizing Democrats in 2019 for a similar approach. However, even those vulnerable Republicans now contend that the White House's lack of cooperation justifies the inquiry and allows for further investigation.
Representative Mike Garcia, a GOP member from a Biden-won district in California, stated, "We have enough information and testimony and evidence right now to continue the process of the inquiry.