The first parliamentary hearing on the impeachment inquiry against US President Joe Biden will take place this Thursday. This investigation was launched by Republicans into Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s controversial affairs abroad.
The first step in an investigation that undermines the American president. The first-ever parliamentary hearing in the impeachment inquiry opened by the Republicans against Joe Biden is scheduled to take place this Thursday.
This initial hearing must focus on “constitutional and legal” issues surrounding allegations that Joe Biden was involved in his son Hunter Biden’s affairs abroad.
What are Hunter and Joe Biden accused of?
The American president’s second son is one of conservatives’ favorite targets. For several months, Hunter has been the subject of a Justice Department investigation into questionable transactions in China and Ukraine.
Joe Biden’s son joined the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, in 2014 for a comfortable salary of tens of thousands of dollars a month. Joe Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president at the time and was therefore directly involved in US policy in Ukraine.
Using his father’s influence, Hunter Biden reportedly tried to overthrow a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating the gas company for corruption, according to Donald Trump, who soon sought to find compromising material about his rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Hunter Biden was also investigated by the American press for alleged ties to a Chinese energy company. According to The Washington Post, the company paid $48 million to companies controlled by Hunter and James Biden, his uncle, when Joe Biden was vice president.
Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives who is leading the impeachment inquiry, says his son’s actions as vice president reflect a “culture of corruption” and accused the president’s son of using the “Biden brand” to promote his relationships with to develop foreign partners for him.
What are the Republicans counting on?
At the first public hearing, scheduled for this Thursday, the investigative commission will rely on “three credible witnesses,” said James Comer, the Republican who leads the commission from the House of Representatives, according to ABC News. “We want to be able to explain what exactly an impeachment inquiry is and what its purpose is,” he added.
This Thursday, more people will have to testify, especially financial law experts who will have to analyze the “evidence” collected by the Republicans about possible trade deals between the Biden family and foreign partners.
“The Oversight Commission will continue to pursue the evidence and money trail to ensure the transparency and accountability that Americans demand from their government,” the commission said in a statement. James Comer also said the commission would request James and Hunter Biden’s bank statements.
How is the White House reacting?
Since announcing this impeachment inquiry in mid-September, the White House has consistently denied the facts accused by Republicans. The American government is trying to discredit this investigation, which is partly based on suspicions against Donald Trump.
In particular, the American executive branch sent a message to the press calling on the media to “double its vigilance” regarding this matter. Addressing this issue by writing, “Republicans say this, but the White House says this, is a disservice to Americans who rely on the independent press to hold those in power accountable,” we can especially read in this note.
The White House says the investigation launched by Republicans is “purely political and without evidence.” In addition, many of Joe Biden’s allies see this as an attempt by the Trumpist wing of the Republicans to sabotage his campaign for re-election in 2024.
Is Joe Biden really at risk of impeachment?
Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress can effectively impeach the president for treason, corruption, or other “high crimes or misdemeanors.”
The initiation of the dismissal process, known as “impeachment” in English, and the vote on the impeachment are the responsibility of the House of Representatives. The indictment must be approved by a simple majority. Next, the Senate must hold the trial of the president, at the end of which it must vote on each article. Impeachment occurs if a two-thirds majority of the president’s members vote in favor of it at the end of the process.
However, the Senate currently has a Democratic majority. The chances of success of this procedure are therefore very low.