House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he has directed a committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family businesses.
McCarthy said the House investigation found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family.
The Republican leader’s announcement comes as he faces growing pressure from his right wing to take action against Biden. McCarthy plans to call lawmakers behind closed doors several times this week, including a meeting to discuss Biden’s impeachment trial.
The president’s Congress is also struggling to pass legislation needed to avert a federal government shutdown at the end of the month. The Republican leader finds himself once again at a political crossroads: he is trying to satisfy his most conservative lawmakers and prevent his own downfall.
It’s a familiar political connection for McCarthy, who has been juggling impeachment inquiries and the threatened government shutdown without a clear end game. The Biden White House considers the Republican maneuver politically motivated.
“He doesn’t have to give in to far-right lawmakers”
“President McCarthy should not send far-right lawmakers threatening to shut down the government if they don’t get a baseless, evidence-free impeachment of President Biden. The consequences for the American people are dire,” said the White House spokesman Ian Sams.
So far, inquiries by Republicans in Congress have found no direct evidence that the president has benefited financially from his son Hunter Biden’s business overseas.
In any case, McCarthy asked Representatives James Comer of Kentucky, Jason Smith of Missouri and Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead the investigation. The details of this legislative initiative will be known on Thursday.
Donald Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, but acquitted by the Senate. He is now facing trials on more serious charges in four courts for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by Biden, among other accusations.
