The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to begin impeachment proceedings against President Biden over his foreign dealings,
amid claims of political motives by the White House. Hunter Biden also faces separate federal charges, including tax evasion.
The Republican-controlled
The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives voted 221-212 to approve
an investigation into whether Joe Biden improperly benefited from the foreign
business dealings of his 53-year-old son Hunter Biden. The White House has rejected the
the investigation as unfounded and politically motivated. This was reported
is reported by UNN with reference to The Wall Street Journal and Associated Press.
Details
On Wednesday, the House of
of Representatives narrowly approved the start of impeachment proceedings against
President Biden, hours after his son, Hunter Biden,
ignored a congressional demand to testify on Capitol Hill, marking a sharp escalation in
marking a sharp escalation in the fight between the White House and Republicans.
The president's son
sharply criticized the subpoena issued by the Republican Party to testify
behind closed doors, explaining that information can be selectively leaked and
manipulated.
The Republicans don't want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless requests, or hear what I have to say. That's what they're afraid of. I'm here,"
GOP Representative James Comer (Kentucky), chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said Republicans expect "full cooperation" with private testimony. Later, Republicans told reporters that they would begin considering contempt of Congress in response to Hunter Biden's lack of cooperation.
As President Biden continues to fence lawful congressional subpoenas, today's vote by the full House of Representatives authorizing the investigation gives us the strongest position possible to enforce these subpoenas in court
Background
Hunter Biden,
who described his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, was the subject of a
of a multi-year criminal investigation. He is facing federal
charges that he lied about his drug use, profited from business dealings with foreign companies, and managed access to the then Vice President and his father, Biden, who also allegedly profited from it. In addition, Hunter Biden is facing criminal charges in other cases - one involving firearms in Delaware, allegedly for violating laws prohibiting drug addicts from owning guns in 2018, a period when he admitted to struggling with addiction; the other is from US Special Prosecutor David Weiss, who claims he failed to pay about $1.4 million in taxes over three years. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to the gun charges, and his lawyer says he has paid back his taxes in full.
The Biden administration is currently dismissing the above investigations as unfounded in facts and politically motivated.
President Joe Biden continues to prepare for a possible rematch in the 2024 elections with his
with his Republican predecessor Donald Trump - according to media reports, the current efforts of opponents almost certainly will not
will almost certainly not lead to Biden's removal from office.
Even if the House of Representatives
votes to impeach the president, the Senate would need a two-thirds vote to
to find him guilty of the charges, which is virtually impossible in a chamber
where the majority is made up of Biden's associates.
To recap
Special
U.S. Attorney David Weiss filed new criminal charges against Hunter
Biden, accusing him of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. This is
is the second criminal case against the son of the President of the United States.