Florida congressman files articles of impeachment against Joe Biden

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube on Friday became the second Republican to file articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors."

A Sarasota Republican, Steube's impeachment effort includes four articles touching on the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the president's son, and allegations of fraud, obstruction of justice and "financial involvement in drug (sic) and prostitution."

House Republicans are considering a formal impeachment inquiry against Biden based on allegations related to his son's business record. They have made unproven claims that Biden, through his son, profited off his position as vice president.

Devon Archer, Hunter Biden's former business partner and a witness who was hyped by Republicans as key to proving their allegations, recently told congressional investigators that he is "not aware of any" wrongdoing by the president.

Steube's articles of impeachment appear to be an effort to speed up action on the Hunter Biden inquiry.

"It's long past time to impeach Joe Biden," Steube said in a statement announcing the impeachment effort.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert filed articles of impeachment against Biden in June related to U.S. border policy. That impeachment effort appeared to catch House leaders off guard. The House voted to send the resolution to committees to review.

Hard right House members have been clamoring to impeach Biden, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy hasn't committed to a formal impeachment inquiry yet. Some Republicans in swing districts are wary of moving forward with impeachment.

“So the question to me right now is do the investigations — are they producing enough facts and evidence that warrant taking it to the next step?” New York Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler told reporters this week. “I don’t think it’s there at the moment, but these committees are doing their job.”

Democrats have accused House Republicans of using impeachment as a political tool.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, told NBC News that Hunter Biden's actions don’t “show anything about President Biden.”

“Through all the slander that the Republicans have hurled about President Biden, there’s no evidence whatsoever that he’s involved in any of this. It’s unfortunate — and I’m sure he’s very unhappy that he’s got such a troubled son with the drug addiction and criminal prosecutions,” Nadler said. “But any talk of impeaching or any other action against President Biden is really absurd … and, second of all, really designed to take people’s attention away from the real indictments of former President Trump.”

Steube's office did not respond to questions from the Herald-Tribune Friday.

Steube is among the most conservative members of the Florida delegation and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. An attorney and U.S. Army veteran, he first was elected to Congress in 2018 after serving in the Florida House and Senate, where he was known as a gun rights advocate.

Steube's District 17 stretches from the City of Sarasota to eastern Lee County, covering a large swath of heavily conservative Southwest Florida. It includes all of Sarasota and Charlotte counties and a portion of Lee.

Trump carried all three counties by double digits in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida Republican Greg Steube calls to impeach President Biden