NEWS
Biden Impeachment Inquiry Kicks Off With House Oversight Hearing Thursday
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The House Oversight Panel on Thursday is holding the first hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The inquiry is being led by House Oversight chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who sent committee members a memo on Wednesday outlining the parameters of their investigation.
The committees will investigate whether Biden “abused his federal office to enrich his family and conceal his and/or his family’s misconduct,” according to the memo.
Since Republicans gained a slim majority, the House of Representatives have spent months investigating Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in connection to an alleged influence-peddling scheme, but have not yet produced evidence that Biden broke the law or abused his office. According to the Constitution, a president can be impeached for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
At the House Oversight hearing on Thursday, committee members will hear general testimony on impeachments and financial crimes from Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant; Eileen O’Connor, former assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice Tax Division; and Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School.
The minority called University of North Carolina law professor Michael J. Gerhardt to testify.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched the impeachment inquiry earlier this month after facing mounting calls from fellow Republicans and former President Donald Trump for an investigation.
“Over the past several months, House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct — a culture of corruption,” McCarthy said in a statement at the time.
“Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners, resulted in cars and millions of dollars into his sons and his son’s business partners,” McCarthy said.
“Bank records show that nearly $20 million in payments were directed to the Biden family members and associates through various shell companies,” McCarthy said. “Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family.”
McCarthy also pointed to an unverified tip the FBI received in 2020, alleging a bribe to the Biden family in connection with Hunter’s work on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.
“Despite these serious allegations, it appears that the president’s family has been offered special treatment by Biden’s own administration,” McCarthy said.
“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy said. “The American people deserve to know that the public offices are not for sale, and that the federal government is not being used to cover up the actions of a politically associated family.”
The inquiry could take months, or even more than a year. At the end of the inquiry, the Judiciary Committee may draw up articles of impeachment. If a House majority votes to impeach, the charges would move to the Democratic-led Senate.
TMX contributed to this article.
