The United States house of representatives has authorised an
impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The vote was 221-212 along party lines.
Three Republican-led house committees allege bribery and
corruption during Biden’s tenure as vice-president under Barack Obama from 2009
to 2017.
After months of pressure from Republicans in Congress, Kevin
McCarthy, then speaker of the house, said in September that an inquiry would be
opened.
McCarthy said the inquiry would focus on “allegations of
abuse of power, obstruction and corruption” by the president.
Biden, who is running for a second term, has been accused of
“weaponising” the justice department against political opponents to protect
Hunter, his son.
Biden’s critics also say Hunter’s dealings and repeated
run-ins with the law indicate a pattern of corruption.
In June, Hunter pleaded guilty to two tax crimes and struck
a deal with federal prosecutors regarding a separate felony gun charge while he
was a drug user.
On Wednesday, the Republican chairperson behind the
impeachment inquiry into Biden said “contempt of Congress proceedings” would be
initiated against the president’s son for not participating in his closed-door
deposition after he demanded to testify publicly.
Hours later, the lower chamber of Congress, which
Republicans control by a slim eight-seat margin, approved the inquiry into
Biden by a vote of 221 to 212.
Voting to authorise an inquiry is not the same as voting for
impeachment, but it advances the likelihood that the house will eventually seek
to impeach Biden.
Speaking on the development, the president called the
proceedings a misplacement of priorities and a baseless political stunt.
“The American people need their leaders in Congress to take
action on important priorities for the nation and world,” he said in a
statement following the vote.
“Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to
be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that
even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts.”
So far, there has been no evidence to prove the allegations
against Biden.
But as the 81-year-old gears up for re-election, he is
likely to battle Donald Trump, his predecessor and a twice-impeached former
president.
Trump, 77, who is also the presumed Republican frontrunner,
has urged his allies to move quickly to impeach his opponent.
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