Rosalind Evans
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives echoes Donald Trump’s push for a second term in the White House by involving President Joe Biden in a wave of corruption allegations, which have yet to be substantiated.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has begun to publicly entertain the idea of an impeachment investigation against President Biden as Washington prepares for a potential third criminal indictment of the former president. McCarthy mentioned this possibility on Fox News Monday and reinforced this stance at Capitol Hill the next day.
“The only way Congress can uncover the truth is through an impeachment inquiry,” McCarthy stated, refraining from formally declaring such an investigation.
His remarks are the most recent indication that the House’s Republican majority is attempting to deflect attention away from the legally troubled, twice-impeached Trump with a counter-narrative of corruption accusations against Biden.
McCarthy’s suggestion of impeachment proceedings was strategically made on the eve of Hunter Biden’s court appearance, in which he is expected to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanours, thereby resolving a felony gun charge if he complies with court-ordered rules.
The mention of impeachment has understandably caused unrest in Washington, leaving many to wonder about the exact allegations the House Republicans plan to present against the President, especially given the lack of solid evidence thus far.
Even without conclusive evidence, Republicans may see political benefits in pursuing impeachment during an era where truth and reality often yield to certain political narratives. A potential Biden impeachment saga could energize the GOP base, delight conservative media, and cultivate a misleading comparison between Trump and Biden’s behaviours among some voters fatigued by years of intense political division. Most crucially for Trump and his Republican allies, it could diverge from the legal troubles surrounding the former president.
An impeachment battle, amidst an election season already affected by Trump’s two indictments would undoubtedly exacerbate political rifts. Should House Republicans push forward, Biden’s impeachment would be the fourth in approximately 25 years, stoking fears that the process is evolving into a common partisan strategy rather than a last-resort constitutional safeguard.
The White House has consistently dismissed GOP allegations. Last month, Biden vehemently denied involvement with a Chinese business partner whom his son Hunter Biden allegedly messaged in 2017. Furthermore, the White House rebuked GOP Senator Chuck Grassley last week for spreading “debunked” information about Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in a foreign bribery scheme connected to Ukrainian energy company Burisma during his vice presidency. The document Grassley released offered no proof or evidence of Biden’s participation.
In a bid to curry favour with Trump, House GOP leaders have also contemplated the possibility of erasing Trump’s two impeachments from the record, despite this action lacking constitutional validity. This latest move demonstrates how much the House Republican majority aligns with Trump’s agenda.
After months of deflecting calls for Biden’s impeachment from his more radical colleagues, McCarthy appears to be reconsidering his stance. Instead of aiming for lower-ranking officials like Attorney General Merrick Garland or Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, McCarthy might target Biden directly, the topmost figure.
Although House Republicans have raised a flurry of insinuations and accusations, they have yet to present evidence of high crimes and misdemeanours required for impeachment proceedings against Biden. They’ve attempted to verify their claims that Biden exploited his vice presidential power to benefit his family through his son’s business connections financially, but so far, to no avail.
Despite the challenges, McCarthy may find it difficult to halt the momentum of an impeachment process. His public contemplation of impeachment has likely appeased the pro-Trump elements of his party, on whom his leadership position depends. However, this could also risk alienating voters who supported Biden in 2020 but then contributed to the GOP taking control of the House in the previous year’s midterms.
While impeachment talk grows among House Republicans, senior Senate Republicans remain less enthusiastic about the idea. The possibility of it backfiring on the GOP has been hinted at, and many have suggested that the best way to alter government is through winning elections. A straightforward narrative of wrongdoing and abuse of power was present in Trump’s impeachments, but Republicans have yet to provide anything as definitive against Biden. However, that may not prevent them from attempting an impeachment.
In the tumultuous realm of American politics, the trajectory of these impeachment proceedings remains uncertain. It is a critical juncture for the GOP: a choice between pursuing justice or political gain. This development bears testament to a political age where truth and falsehood are often blurred, and the impeachment process seems to be more about partisan point-scoring than constitutional remedy. With the ghost of Trump’s trials still haunting the national consciousness and the Senate majority still held by the Democrats, it remains to be seen if McCarthy’s impeachment consideration will materialize into a full-fledged inquiry or merely serve as a political distraction.
