House Officially Launches Biden Impeachment Probe In Party-Line Vote—Here’s What That Means

Topline The House voted on Wednesday to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden—a procedural step in the months-long probe that seeks to give Republicans more teeth in requesting information and testimonies, as they fight to force the president’s son Hunter Biden to testify. President Joe Biden walks with his son, Hunter Biden, and his grandson, Beau, after having lunch in Key Facts The House voted 221-212 strictly along party lines to pass the resolution, with one Democrat not voting. The resolution had been expected to pass as multiple who represent districts Biden won in 2020 and who have expressed hesitance about formally impeaching Biden, including Reps.

Don (R-Neb. ) and Mike (R-N. Y.

), have said they support formalizing the inquiry. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.

D. ) introduced the last week, which lays out the investigative procedures the House committees would be entitled to moving forward, including the ability to require testimony, records or information by subpoena. Republicans believe the vote will give GOP-led House committees more power to issue subpoenas and seek information as they investigate allegations of influence-peddling by Biden and whether federal law enforcement agencies treated Hunter Biden more favorably in their own criminal investigations of the younger Biden.

The House needed to formally authorize an impeachment investigation “before the committee may compel the production of documents or testimony,” according to a Justice Department opinion issued during Trump’s second impeachment. What We Don’t Know Whether the House would have the votes to formally impeach Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.

), who has expressed skepticism that the House has collected sufficient evidence thus far to impeach Biden, has said he expects a vote on formal articles of impeachment early next year. Republicans’ slim 221-213 majority in the House means they can afford to lose just three votes in order to pass legislation without Democrats’ support. Two members have announced they will resign in the coming months (former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.

) at the end of the year and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) in the first quarter of next year) which would leave the GOP with a 219-213 majority. If the House were to impeach Biden, he would almost certainly be acquitted in a trial in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where a conviction requires a vote of two-thirds of members.

Chief Critic “We are here for one reason and one reason alone: Donald Trump demanded that Republicans impeach so they are going to impeach,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass. ) said.

“These guys, these Republicans, they don’t work for you, the American people. They work for Donald Trump. He says jump, they respond how high.

” Tangent Wednesday’s vote comes after Hunter Biden refused to comply with a subpoena demanding he testify before the Oversight Committee behind closed doors. Biden instead delivered a rare public press conference at the time of his scheduled deposition, reiterating that he would only testify before the House publicly in order to prevent the committees from manipulating the facts. Biden defended his father, and said he was “not financially involved” in any of his professional ventures, while accusing “MAGA Republicans” of a “baeless inquiry” designed to “dehumanize [him] all to embarrass and damage [his] father.

” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky. ) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subsequently they would take steps to hold the younger Biden in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena, though it’s up the Justice Department to formally charge him with the crime. Similarly, Comer earlier this year threatened to hold FBI Director Chris Wray in contempt of Congress when the agency refused to hand over a document detailing allegations against the president, but called off the contempt initiative when Wray said he would allow committee members to view the records in private.

Key Background McCarthy in September directed the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden in a bid to appease right-wing Republicans threatening McCarthy’s own political career. Republicans have unearthed a trove of evidence they allege suggests the president and his son engaged in ethically questionable, and potentially illegal, activity with Hunter Biden’s foreign business partners, but have not produced any evidence to show a direct financial link to the president. Among the most shocking allegations trumpeted by Republicans is a tip from an anonymous FBI source who claimed the CEO of a Ukrainian energy company that Hunter Biden sat on the board of paid $10 million to members of the Biden family in exchange for then-Vice President Joe Biden’s help in removing a Ukrainian corruption prosecutor.

The FBI has not verified the claims, however, and Biden has repeatedly said he has had no involvement with his family members’ business activities. Some of the committees’ witnesses have testified that the president had with his son’s business partners. Others have the law enforcement agencies investigating Hunter Biden of treating him more favorably than they would have other suspects—the younger Biden has been charged with tax and gun offenses in recent months.

.