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Biden Impeachment Case The Latest Hunter Biden Case Buoys G.O.P. How Trump Pushed Republicans The White House’s Strategy

House Set to Approve Biden

Impeachment Inquiry as It Hunts for
an Offense
Republicans are pushing forward with a formal investigation
even though their yearlong scrutiny of the president and his
family has turned up no proof of high crimes or misdemeanors.

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Representative Jim Jordan, the leader of one of the committees investigating

President Biden, suggested that false statements Mr. Biden made about his son’s
business interests could constitute obstruction. Al Drago for The New York Times

By Luke Broadwater
Reporting from the Capitol

Dec. 13, 2023 Updated 9:27 a.m. ET

The Republican-led House is on track to approve a formal

impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Wednesday, pushing
forward with a yearlong G.O.P. investigation that has failed to
produce evidence of anything approaching high crimes or
misdemeanors.

Republicans say the vote, which is expected in the evening, is

needed to give them full authority to carry out their investigations
amid anticipated legal challenges from the White House.
Democrats have denounced the inquiry as a fishing expedition and
a political stunt.

G.O.P. leaders refrained for months from calling a vote to open an

impeachment inquiry, given the reservations of mainstream
Republicans, many of them from politically competitive districts,
about moving forward without proof that Mr. Biden did anything
wrong. But the political ground has shifted considerably , and most
of them are now willing to do so, emphasizing that they are not yet
ready to charge the president.

“Voting in favor of an impeachment inquiry does not equal

impeachment,” Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No.
3 House Republican, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “We
will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead, and if they
uncover evidence of treason, bribery or other high crimes and
misdemeanors, then and only then will the next steps towards
impeachment proceedings be considered.”

Since winning the majority, House Republicans have been

investigating myriad aspects of Mr. Biden’s family and
administration, hunting for evidence that could be used to prove he
is corrupt and should be impeached. Former President Donald J.
Trump, still seething over being impeached twice, has urged on
their investigation at every step.

The Republican inquiry has focused heavily on the president’s son,

Hunter Biden, who is under indictment on federal tax and gun
charges , and the work he did for companies and partners in
Ukraine, China and other countries. They are also examining
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seven federal agents and three U.S. attorneys.

“Republicans’ yearlong fishing expedition has uncovered no

evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden,” said Representative
Dan Goldman, Democrat of New York.

The impeachment inquiry resolution does not accuse Mr. Biden of

any wrongdoing. It authorizes three Republican-led panels to
continue their investigations and petition a court for grand jury
materials; authorizes subpoenas and retroactively approves a slew
that have already been issued; and allows for the hiring of outside
counsel to help with the inquiry.

Speaker Mike Johnson, who has accused Mr. Biden of corruption,

said lawmakers are particularly focused on investigating four
areas: the millions of dollars Hunter Biden and James Biden, the
president’s brother, received from overseas business deals; false or
misleading statements elder Mr. Biden made about his son’s work;
incidents in which the elder Mr. Biden met with or spoke with his
son’s business partners; and about $240,000 the elder Mr. Biden
received from his family members as reimbursement for loans.

Republicans have labored, so far without success, to prove that

President Biden was enriched by his son’s business dealings. Many
of the documents they have produced thus far have, in fact,
demonstrated the opposite: that Mr. Biden lent money to his son
and brother when they were in need, and they later paid him back.

The House Oversight Committee released documents that showed

that one of Hunter Biden’s businesses, Owasco PC, made three
payments of $1,380 to Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2018 when he was not
in office. Republicans said the payments were evidence of
corruption. Other documents indicate the money was to pay back
his father for helping to cover the cost of a Ford truck.

Republicans have scheduled a Wednesday morning deposition with

Hunter Biden, who has resisted testifying behind closed doors
because he said he fears Republicans will selectively leak portions
of his testimony. Instead, Hunter Biden has insisted on testifying
publicly.

But Republicans have rejected that offer and are threatening to

hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not comply with their
demands.

In a briefing with reporters, Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio

Republican and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, also laid
out his plan to haul in nine more witnesses for questioning within
two months.

He said Republicans were investigating whether Mr. Biden took a

bribe, abused his power, engaged in other forms of misconduct or
obstructed their investigation. Mr. Jordan suggested that false
statements the president made about his son’s business interests
— such as his claim that Hunter Biden had not received any money
from China — could constitute obstruction.

“We’ll look at all the facts and make a decision,” Mr. Jordan said.
“Was it obstruction when Joe Biden said all the things he has said
that turned out not to be accurate?”

Luke Broadwater covers Congress with a focus on congressional investigations. More

about Luke Broadwater

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