The US House of Representatives is preparing to open impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden, House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy said. The appearance of Hunter Biden, son of the US President, who is accused of tax evasion, weighs on Biden.
At the Capitol, the building that houses the US Legislature, McCarthy said that “there are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption” and that he was “directing our House committees to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”
How impeachment works in the USA
The process basically takes place in three steps.
The first is to initiate an investigation. Theoretically, any representative can submit the application. A committee analyzes the investigation in the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, which decides whether to formulate the process or archive it.
Once the process is approved, the text goes to the chamber for a vote.
In the second step, the vote in the chamber, in order to be convicted, the president must receive votes with a simple majority in this regard. That’s 218 of the 435 MPs.
The Democrats, Biden’s party, have 212 seats and are the minority in the House of Representatives. The Republicans, the opposition party, have 222 seats.
If approved, Biden will be considered “indicted.” He does not lose office, but the statement serves as an indication that the president will be officially prosecuted.
In the Senate, senators serve as jurors and a group of representatives serve as prosecutors.
In order for impeachment to occur, twothirds of the senators in the Senate vote must vote for conviction, i.e. 67 of the 100 parliamentarians.
This scenario benefits the current president. In the Senate, 51 seats belong to the Democrats. Republicans occupy the minority, 49 seats.