An impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden will be formally launched after the House of Representatives voted to formally authorise an investigation.
The inquiry will investigate allegations the President benefited from his son’s business dealings.
Biden has denied the accusations and inquiries so far have found no evidence of wrongdoing.
What is an impeachment?
An impeachment is an investigation into a high-ranking U.S. official believed to have committed “high crimes or misdemeanours”.
The process first requires a majority from the House of Representatives (Lower House) to impeach an official. Then, two-thirds of the Senate (Upper House) must vote to convict an official.
If a President is convicted of an impeachment, they can be immediately removed from office.
The accusation
Joe Biden is being accused of financially benefitting from the business dealings of his son, Hunter, while he was Vice President between 2009 and 2017. In particular, he’s being accused of using his public positions to strengthen Hunter’s business credentials.
Both Joe and Hunter Biden have denied these claims.
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to authorise an impeachment inquiry into the President. Biden called the vote a “baseless political stunt”.
Hunter Biden
As part of the inquiry, the House Committee called Hunter Biden to give evidence in a private hearing.
Hunter – who is separately facing a litany of federal gun and tax charges – did not appear before the Committee.
Instead, he spoke outside Congress and told reporters “my father was not financially involved in my business”, and said he would provide public testimony.
Impeachment
Earlier this year, Committee Chairman James Comer said evidence had been uncovered to suggest Biden had financially gained from his son’s business schemes, and that his son had used access to his father as a leveraging tool in private business dealings.
After the successful vote in the House of Representatives this week, Comer said,”it’s very clear the White House has been obstructing our investigation.”
Joe Biden’s reply
The President responded to the impeachment vote, describing it as a “baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts”.
He added: “Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies.”
What now?
A committee established by the House of Representatives is charged with conducting the inquiry, and has some powers to compel the production of documents or testimonies.
If the committee deems there to be enough evidence produced in the inquiry, they will put it to a vote for the entire House. If the majority of the House votes yes, then Biden is impeached.
