Last Wednesday (13), the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of officially opening an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Although an ongoing investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat, the Republican majority in the House made the decision.
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The inquiry was authorized to examine allegations that Biden improperly benefited the foreign businesses of his son, Hunter Biden. The vote came just hours after Hunter refused to testify in an informal investigation launched by Republican lawmakers. This preliminary investigation did not result in any evidence of corruption on Biden’s part, despite obtaining bank records and witness statements.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement after the vote: “We do not take this responsibility lightly and will not undermine the results of the inquiry, but the evidentiary record is impossible to ignore.” Approval of the inquiry guarantees that the impeachment investigation will extend until 2024, the year in which Biden will run for re-election, possibly facing former president Donald Trump again.
The White House called the initiative baseless and politically motivated, while Biden condemned the vote, calling it a “coup.” He highlighted that Republicans are choosing to waste time on a baseless political movement instead of dealing with the urgent demands that need to be met, emphasizing that even some Republicans in Congress admit that impeachment is not supported by facts.