Republicans Launch Impeachment Inquiry Hearings Against Biden

US Republicans have initiated impeachment inquiry hearings into President Joe Biden on Thursday. The move comes as the investigation has thus far failed to uncover concrete evidence of wrongdoing by the president. The Republican Party contends that the information they have gathered justifies consolidating their multiple probes into an official inquiry, granting investigative powers to representatives from three House committees, including the authority to subpoena Biden's bank records. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has accused President Biden of misleading the public regarding his awareness of his son Hunter Biden's business dealings, which Republicans allege unfairly benefited the Democratic leader during his tenure as vice president. "House Republicans have unearthed serious and credible allegations against President Biden's conduct," McCarthy declared when announcing the inquiry, under pressure from the far-right faction of his party to scrutinize the president. "Collectively, these allegations paint a portrait of a culture of corruption." The Biden administration has dismissed these efforts as mere "stunts," accusing Republicans of attempting to divert attention away from pressing issues, including an impending government shutdown triggered by far-right lawmakers. The US Constitution empowers Congress to remove a president for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Impeachment by the House initiates a "trial" in the Senate, potentially leading to the president's removal from office if convicted. The House Oversight Committee commenced the first hearing on Thursday morning, with Republicans characterizing it as a "review" of the panel's prior work. Critics, however, argue that the inquiry is designed to maintain a damaging open-ended investigation as the nation approaches an election year, doubting that impeachment would garner sufficient support in the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority. The investigation has so far obtained over 12,000 pages of subpoenaed bank records from Biden family members and hours of testimony from Hunter Biden's business associates and federal investigators. Critics, including Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman, the lead counsel in former President Donald Trump's initial impeachment, contend that the evidence fails to support the allegations put forth by Republicans. The ongoing probe revolves around various claims, including allegations of bribery involving Ukrainian firm Burisma, where Hunter Biden served on the board. These claims have been debunked by multiple federal officials. Republicans also allege that President Biden interfered with a criminal investigation into Hunter Biden's activities, a claim that appears tenuous given that the indictment against the president's son came from a Trump-appointed prosecutor, whose investigation President Biden allowed to proceed.