House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announces impeachment inquiry into President Biden

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday he was opening an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

At a brief press conference, McCarthy said Republicans had uncovered “serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct.”

McCarthy claimed Biden profited off his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings with foreign entities, and that Biden gave his son and other family members “special treatment.”

“These are allegations of abuse of power obstruction and corruption,” McCarthy said. “And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”

McCarthy said the investigation would be overseen by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the Committee on Oversight, with coordination from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the judiciary committee, and Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., on Ways and Means.

Democrats, including White House spokesman Ian Sams and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, responded to the opening of the impeachment inquiry Tuesday.

“House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped because he doesn’t have support. Extreme politics at its worst,” Sams said, in a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sams accused McCarthy of not following through on his earlier statements that he would hold a vote before launching an impeachment inquiry.

“Today, Kevin McCarthy unilaterally decreed an impeachment inquiry and said there’d be no vote. In 2019, he said the House must ‘intend to hold a vote of the full House authorizing an impeachment inquiry,’ or it ‘would create a process completely devoid of any merit or legitimacy,’” Sams said.

Jeffries said, “The illegitimate impeachment inquiry launched by Extreme MAGA Republicans is regrettable, reckless and reprehensible. It is a political revenge tour that lacks any factual or constitutional basis. Democrats will defend the truth and fight right-wing extremists at every turn,” in a statement posted on X.

Related

• National Archives confirm when Biden was vice president he used 3 pseudonyms

• Reports: President Biden is struggling after Hunter Biden’s plea deal fell apart

Earlier this month, McCarthy said he felt is was important that “the American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives.” He continued, “That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person,” per Breitbart.

By opening an impeachment inquiry, the House will be able to subpoena related records, including President Biden’s bank records, in an effort to determine whether the president profited from his son’s business dealings.

In his remarks, McCarthy said, “Bank records show that nearly $20 million in payments were directed to Biden family members and associates through various shell companies.

“The Treasury Department, alone, has more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family and other business associates that were flagged as ‘suspicious activity’ by U.S. banks.”

He accused Biden of using his “official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden’s business partners about Hunter’s role in Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.”

He also alleged the president’s family was offered “special treatment” by the Biden administration.

The decision to open an impeachment inquiry was not one he took “lightly,” McCarthy said.

“We will go wherever the evidence takes us,” he said.

McCarthy has been speaking about opening an impeachment inquiry for months, while Democrats have said accusations of President Biden’s involvement in his son’s business affairs were baseless.