Representative James Comer, who serves as the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has suggested that the possibility of impeaching President Joe Biden is growing more likely.
This revelation comes after House Republicans reportedly engaged with their constituents at Walmart during the Thanksgiving holiday, where concerns regarding the President's actions were voiced, as per to Newsweek.
Impeachment Looms as GOP Investigates Biden's Son
The ongoing investigation by the GOP has focused on allegations of President Biden's involvement in his son Hunter Biden's business dealings with China and Ukraine during his tenure as Vice President under the Obama administration.
These allegations include claims of improper intervention and receiving bribes. It is important to note that these allegations have been strongly denied by both the White House and Hunter Biden's legal representatives.
Democrats, in turn, have criticized the impeachment inquiries for failing to uncover substantial evidence against the President. On Saturday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted at the likelihood of Republicans taking steps towards a formal impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. "I think it's something we have to do at this juncture," Johnson stated during an appearance on Fox and Friends Weekend.
The Republican Party has spent several months investigating the President and his son's business dealings, with the hope of finding any wrongdoing that could serve as grounds for impeachment. However, the full House has not yet voted to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry, as some Republicans have expressed reservations about the sufficiency of evidence to justify such action.
The White House has consistently rebuffed GOP efforts to compel the release of information, citing a 2020 opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel pointed out the importance of a complete House resolution as a prerequisite for a House committee to request documents or conduct interviews.
Mike Johnson and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik expressed confidence in having enough votes to authorize an inquiry and highlighted its importance in obtaining information from the White House. Johnson stated, "We are the rule-of-law team. We have to do it very methodically," according to The Guardian.
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Lack of Evidence in Impeachment Probe Raises Concerns
Despite the investigation's duration, it has not yielded substantial evidence to support impeachment. Several expert witnesses called by Republicans during a September hearing stated that they did not believe there was enough evidence to justify such a move.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has cautioned House Republicans about the ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Biden. While he considers the probe "justifiable," DeSantis expressed concern that GOP lawmakers risk getting distracted from addressing other pressing issues facing Americans, such as immigration and the economy.
DeSantis noted that Republican voters, particularly in states like Iowa, are more concerned about issues like border security and the state of the economy than the allegations against President Biden and his family's financial dealings.
House Republicans initiated the impeachment inquiry in September, alleging President Biden benefited financially from his family's overseas business affairs. However, the inquiry has yet to produce direct evidence implicating the President in any foreign improprieties.
In a recent closed-door meeting, House Republican leadership and committee chairs leading the investigation discussed the ongoing inquiry and indicated their intention to seek a formal vote to authorize the probe in the coming weeks. It's important to note that this proceeding is currently only an impeachment inquiry and not a full-scale impeachment effort.
Governor DeSantis concluded by urging House Republicans to balance their focus on the impeachment inquiry with their responsibilities on other critical issues, reminding them not to use it as a distraction from addressing the pressing concerns of American citizens, USA Today reported.
