The House GOP has taken a significant step by voting to formalize their impeachment inquiry into President Biden. This decision aims to strengthen their demands and push the investigation.
On Wednesday, the House GOP took a significant step by officially formalizing its impeachment inquiry into President Biden through a House vote. Republicans aim to strengthen their demands and add legal weight to the ongoing investigation as it enters a more assertive phase.
Lawmakers voted along party lines, with a 221-212 majority, to approve the resolution authorizing the inquiry. Prior to this, Hunter Biden, who is central to many of the lines of inquiry, defied a GOP subpoena to appear for a deposition. Republicans leading the probe believe this emphasizes the necessity for a formal vote.
Recently, a resolution was passed to officially investigate President Biden. This inquiry has been going on for several months now. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy previously mentioned that various Republican investigations into the president could potentially lead to impeachment, but no official vote was taken at that point. The decision to formalize the inquiry was partly influenced by the White House’s response to document requests, where they argued that the inquiry lacked constitutionality since no vote had been taken. This argument referred to a legal opinion from the Trump era.
After a recent vote, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer expressed satisfaction and sent a clear message to the White House regarding compliance. However, President Biden criticized House Republicans for what he called a baseless political stunt.
In response to the House vote formalizing the inquiry, President Biden expressed his commitment to addressing issues that directly affect the American people and prioritize the strength and security of both the country and the world. However, he expressed disappointment in House Republicans for not aligning with his efforts.
The impeachment inquiry encompasses a thorough examination of the financial aspects involving Biden family members and an investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax payments. However, investigators have faced challenges in substantiating the most sensational claim made by former President Trump during his own impeachment proceedings: that as vice president, Joe Biden intentionally acted in Ukraine to benefit his son’s business.
During a House floor debate, Hunter Biden’s business dealings were described as an influence peddling scheme by Congressman Comer. He argued that even money earned after his father left office could be seen as corrupt. He also mentioned facing obstruction from the White House while trying to depose and interview members of the Biden family and their associates. Democrats, on the other hand, focused on questioning the ongoing investigation that has been in progress for several months.
Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts dismissed Republican claims that the impeachment process is solely about procedural matters. He argued that the process has already moved forward. Furthermore, McGovern countered Republican accusations that the White House is obstructing the inquiry. According to him, the White House has cooperated by sharing over 35, 000 pages of financial records and conducting numerous hours of testimony and interviews. He also claimed that Republicans are preventing Hunter Biden from testifying in public, suggesting they seek secrecy in order to selectively present and manipulate his testimony.
The approval of the resolution in the House GOP’s slim majority is noteworthy because pursuing impeachment can be politically risky, especially for those in swing seats. However, some Republicans argue that voting to allow further investigation is different from supporting articles of impeachment. Representative Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who had initially indicated opposition to the resolution, ended up voting in favor of it on Wednesday.
Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S. D.) recently stated that, although he believes there is currently no concrete evidence to support impeachment, he acknowledges that an impeachment inquiry holds significance and deserves thorough consideration. In a corresponding press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) echoed this sentiment by emphasizing the importance of following the truth in accordance with the Constitution, without presuming any predetermined outcome.
House Republicans have gathered a significant amount of information through their probe, which includes thousands of pages of financial records related to Biden’s closest family members and their business transactions. In certain interviews, Comer has expressed pride in the substantial volume of bank records they have obtained. However, Republicans have stated that they are still lacking crucial testimony and documents they have requested. They have also cautioned that they anticipate potential court battles as they continue with their inquiry.
Hunter Biden expressed his views on the impeachment inquiry during a press conference at the Senate side of the Capitol lawn. He stated that while he admits to being irresponsible with his finances during his addiction, he strongly believes it is absurd to suggest that this alone warrants an impeachment inquiry. Hunter emphasized that there is no evidence to support allegations of financial involvement between him and his father’s business, as such claims are unfounded.
“No matter how many times it is debunked, they continue to insist that my father’s support of Ukraine against Russia is the result of a non-existent bribe.”
The Republican Party (GOP) has focused on President Biden’s actions as vice president, specifically his involvement in removing a Ukrainian prosecutor. They argue that Biden linked a $1 billion loan guarantee to Ukraine with the dismissal of prosecutor Viktor Shokin, claiming that it was done to benefit his son who had ties to Ukrainian energy company Burisma. However, it is important to note that Biden’s efforts were supported by politicians from both sides of the political spectrum and were driven by international pressure to address corruption concerns regarding Shokin’s performance as a prosecutor.
During the time in question, Burisma and its owner were not under investigation. The appointment of a new prosecutor could potentially draw more attention to the company. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, who is leading the investigation, highlighted Hunter Biden’s statement that his father was not financially involved in his business. This suggests that President Biden may have had limited knowledge of his son’s business activities and connections.
“That’s an important qualifier,” Jordan said. “What involvement was it? That’s why we want to ask these questions with important witnesses and that’s why this resolution is important.”
Democrats said Republicans had done little to advance their impeachment claims so far, noting in a hearing earlier this year that GOP witnesses said they did not see sufficient evidence for impeaching President Biden as they had not connected him with any wrongdoing
Rep. Jamie Raskin criticized the impeachment inquiry, mocking Republicans for not identifying any specific crime committed by President Biden. Rep. Eric Swalwell referred to the House as a law firm with lawyers working solely for Donald Trump.
Is this the end of Biden corruption or just another chapter in protectionism?
Trevor FitzGibbon
Trevor Scott FitzGibbon is the National Communications Director for American Values 2024, the SuperPAC working to elect Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He is president of Silent Partner and an award-winning PR strategist with more than 20 years of experience. His work has primarily focused on defending human rights, whistleblowers, and exposing corruption throughout his career.
Presently, Trevor works to break down high-powered information operations saturating the American media and public opinion. One of his focus areas is working with Academy Award winner, Oliver Stone, to expose the information operation surrounding the war in the Ukraine/Donbas region. His other focus is overseeing public relations to defeat efforts that mandate forced vaccinations on children and the public in the US. Working with the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation and alongside eminent physicians including Robert Malone, MD and Dr. Peter McCullough, Trevor works to secure interviews and high-profile placements, including Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson Tonight, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the Today Show.
His clients have ranged from Google Foundation and Amnesty International to WikiLeaks, Julian Assange Legal Defense, Pearl Jam, the governments of Venezuela and Ecuador and its legal fight against Chevron for its destruction of the Ecuadoran rainforest.
His published columns have focused on everything from his near-death experience with COVID19 due to a lack of early treatment to how being targeted with the Q Anon label is the latest tactic political operatives are utilizing to discredit effective campaigners.
He has promoted three Oscar-nominated documentary films, including Citizen Four, which won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
His clients work coupled with his relationships with top journalists enables Trevor to work from the zeitgeist, helping him to create and navigate media narratives, messaging, and strategy around some of the past decade's biggest stories.
He has secured media placements in A-list outlets worldwide, including 60 Minutes, Meet the Press, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Economist, and the Financial Times.
In 2012, FitzGibbon Helps Take Down Backpage.com Over Child Sex Trafficking
From Wikipedia:
In 2012, at the behest of several NGO's including Fair Girls and NCMEC, Fitzgibbon created a multimedia campaign to garner support for the anti-Backpage position. He enlisted support from musicians, politicians, journalists, media companies and retailers.
The campaign created a greater public dialogue, both pro and con, regarding Backpage.[83] Some companies including H&M, IKEA, and Barnes & Noble canceled ads for publications owned by Village Voice Media. Over 230,000 people including 600 religious leaders, 51 attorneys general, 19 U.S. senators, over 50 non-governmental associations, musician Alicia Keys, and members of R.E.M., The Roots, and Alabama Shakes petitioned the website to remove sexual content.[68]
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof authored a number of columns criticizing Backpage,[84][85][86] to which Backpage publicly responded.[87] In a March 17, 2012 column, "Where Pimps Peddle Their Goods," Kristof told the story of a young woman whose "street name" was Alissa. Kristof wrote that pimps had coerced Alissa into a life of prostitution and posted ads for her on Backpage while she was underage. He also urged mainstream advertisers to boycott Village Voice Media and linked to a Change.org petition asking VVM to stop allowing its users to post adult ads on Backpage.”
