House Preps For A Key Vote On Biden Impeachment Inquiry As Republicans Unite Behind Investigation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. The House is moving toward a vote on Wednesday to formally approve the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, as Republicans unite behind the contentious process despite some in the party’s misgivings that the investigation has yet to provide evidence of the president’s misbehavior.

The decision comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team face mounting pressure to show progress in what has become a nearly year-long investigation into Biden’s family members’ business practices. While their inquiry has highlighted ethical concerns, there has been no evidence that Biden acted corruptly or took bribes in his current or past roles as vice president.

Johnson referred to the vote ahead of time as “the next necessary step.” He admitted that “a lot of people who are frustrated this hasn’t moved faster.”

Johnson, however, told Fox News that he believes the resolution would pass the House and that “we’ll be in the best position to do our constitutional responsibility.”

By holding a floor vote, the speaker, who has been in office for less than two months, will put his conference on record in support of an impeachment process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president: punishment for what the Constitution defines as “high crimes and misdemeanors,” which can lead to removal from office if convicted in a Senate trial.

House Preps For A Key Vote On Biden Impeachment Inquiry As Republicans Unite Behind Investigation

A successful vote would also ensure that the impeachment probe continues well into 2024 when Biden is expected to fight for reelection against former President Donald Trump, who was impeached thrice during his presidency. Trump has urged Republicans to move quickly to impeach Biden as part of a broader campaign of revenge and retaliation against his political adversaries.

The White House recently termed the entire process a “baseless fishing expedition” that Republicans are pushing forward with “despite the fact that members of their own party have admitted there is no evidence to support impeaching President Biden.”

House Democrats spoke out against the probe resolution on Wednesday.

“The whole thing is a blatant political stunt.” It possesses no credibility, legitimacy, or integrity. During a floor debate, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., stated, “It’s a sideshow.”

Some House Republicans, particularly those from politically divided districts, have been wary of voting on Biden’s impeachment, fearing a hefty electoral cost. However, Republican leaders have argued in recent weeks that the resolution is simply a first step, not a decision to impeach Biden. That message persuaded skeptics.

“As we have said numerous times before, voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal impeachment,” Rep. Tom Emmer, a member of the Republican leadership team, said during a news conference Tuesday.

Republicans, according to Emmer, “will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead, and if they uncover evidence of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards impeachment proceedings be considered.”

House Democrats spoke out against the probe resolution on Wednesday.

A top White House attorney wrote to Republican committee leaders last month, portraying the GOP investigation as excessive and illegitimate since the chamber had not yet authorized a formal impeachment inquiry by a vote of the entire House. The president’s special counsel, Richard Sauber, also wrote that when Trump faced the threat of impeachment by a Democratic-led House in 2019, Johnson stated that any investigation without a House vote would be a “sham.”

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, said Monday that while there was no evidence to impeach the president, “that’s also not what this week’s vote would be about.”

“We have had enough political impeachments in this country,” he said. “I don’t like the stonewalling the administration has done, but listen, if we don’t have the receipts, that should constrain what the House does long term.”

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who has long been opposed to pushing forward with impeachment, said the White House’s skepticism of the investigation’s credibility without a formal vote aided his support. “I can defend an inquiry right now,” he told reporters earlier this week. “Let’s see what they find out.”

To pass the impeachment probe vote, nearly all House Republicans must vote in support. Given the GOP’s thin 221-213 advantage, it will be a critical test of party unity.

House Democrats are united in their opposition to the impeachment process, calling it a charade orchestrated by the Republican Party to divert attention away from Trump and his legal problems.

“You don’t initiate an impeachment process unless there’s real evidence of impeachable offenses,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee who oversaw Trump’s impeachment proceedings. “There aren’t any here. None.”

House Democrats spoke out against the probe resolution on Wednesday.

Democrats and the White House have defended the president and his administration’s cooperation with the probe thus far, claiming that a large cache of material has already been made accessible.

Congressional investigators collected roughly 40,000 pages of subpoenaed bank documents and dozens of hours of testimony from important witnesses, including many high-ranking Justice Department officials who are presently investigating the president’s son, Hunter Biden.

While Republicans claim that their investigation will ultimately focus on the president, they have taken a special interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas business operations, which they accuse the president of personally benefitting. Republicans have also focused a significant portion of their probe on whistleblower charges of meddling in the Justice Department’s long-running investigation of the younger Biden’s taxes and gun use.

Democrats have admitted that, while the president’s son is not without flaws, he is a private citizen already being held accountable by the legal system.

“I mean, there’s a lot of evidence that Hunter Biden did some questionable things.” “He’s been charged, and he’ll face trial,” Nadler said. “There’s no evidence whatsoever that the president did anything improper.”

Hunter Biden emerged outside the United States Capitol on Wednesday for a rare public statement, announcing that he would not be coming for his scheduled private deposition that morning. The president’s son defended himself against years of Republican assaults, stating unequivocally that his father has had no financial participation in his business operations.

His lawyer has volunteered for Biden to testify publicly, citing Republican fears about influencing private testimony.

“Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say,” Biden said on the steps of the Capitol. “What are they scared of?” “I’m here.”

Republicans have warned that if Hunter Biden does not present, they will initiate contempt of Congress charges. “He just got into more trouble today,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer told reporters Wednesday.

SOURCE – (AP)