House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has initiated an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden’s family’s business dealings due to mounting pressure from hard-right lawmakers.
How it Started
This surprising move by McCarthy, who had previously considered a total House vote on the matter, appears driven by political considerations, as some influential and Trump-allied members of his own caucus threatened to end his career as Speaker.
The investigation started earlier this year and will focus on whether Biden had any role in or financial gain from his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals.
The House Oversight Committee has been conducting a months-long investigation, but it has not found any evidence of the President profiting from his son’s business activities yet.
Some GOP legislators have dismissed the need for a full-blown impeachment inquiry, while others argue that there is enough information to warrant further scrutiny.
A Family of Corruption
During his announcement of the impeachment inquiry, McCarthy accused the Biden family of a “culture of corruption” and alleged that the President had lied about his knowledge of his son’s activities.
However, the White House labeled the inquiry as “extreme politics at its worst” and highlighted that House Republicans had been investigating President Biden for nine months without finding any wrongdoing.
Should House Republicans proceed with impeachment, it is unlikely to succeed in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote is required for conviction.
“Absurd” Inquiry
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the inquiry as “absurd” and accused House Republicans of pursuing a partisan witch hunt against the President.
Schumer also commented on McCarthy’s position, saying, “I have sympathy with Speaker McCarthy” because “He’s in a difficult position.
But sometimes you got to tell these people who are way off the deep end, who have no interest in helping the American people, who just want to pursue their own witch hunts—that they can’t go forward.”
This move by McCarthy represents a significant shift in strategy, as he had previously criticized the initiation of an impeachment inquiry without a full House vote.
A formal impeachment inquiry grants Congress greater power, allowing it to delve deeper into Biden’s family finances and potentially issue subpoenas for bank records.
Biden’s Response
The impeachment inquiry comes at a delicate time for McCarthy, as right-wing lawmakers within his party challenge his position, and he must also navigate a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Unfortunately for McCarthy, the decision to endorse the inquiry did not resolve GOP divisions, as some Republicans continue to criticize McCarthy’s approach.
President Biden responded to the impeachment inquiry, stating, “I don’t know quite why, but they just knew they wanted to impeach me,” and, “best I can tell, they want to impeach me because they want to shut down the government.”
Biden concluded his thoughts on the inquiry by saying, “I get up every day — not a joke, not focused on impeachment. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to deal with the issues that affect the American people, every single solitary day.”
The post Biden Doesn’t “Know Quite Why” They Want to Impeach Him – So He “Gets Up Every Day, Not Focused On” It first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / lev radin