McCarthy launches Biden impeachment inquiry, lawmakers seek more authority.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has announced an exciting development—the House of Representatives will be launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Mr. McCarthy, who has been under immense pressure to initiate impeachment proceedings since he became speaker, boldly stated that President Biden lied about his knowledge of his family’s foreign business dealings.
“Eyewitnesses have testified that the president joined on multiple phone calls and had multiple interactions, dinners, resulting in cars and millions of dollars into his son’s and his son’s business partners’ [accounts],” McCarthy said during a Sept. 12 press conference.
“We have concrete evidence that bank records show nearly $20 million in payments were directed to the Biden family members and associates through various shell companies. The Treasury Department alone flagged more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family and other business associates as suspicious activity by U.S. banks,” McCarthy revealed.
“Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family. Biden used his official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden’s business partners regarding Hunter’s role in Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company.”
Impeachment is a significant provision in the U.S. Constitution. According to Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution, “The President, Vice President, and all Civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
An impeachment is similar to an indictment in a criminal proceeding. The charges, known as articles of impeachment, are a series of accusations that must be proven in the Senate, which acts as a court of impeachment. Articles of impeachment only require approval by a simple majority of the House of Representatives before they are sent to the Senate.
During a presidential trial, the proceedings are presided over by the chief justice of the United States—Chief Justice John Roberts in this case. Senators are sworn in, and a two-thirds vote is necessary for a conviction, which would result in removal from office.
While presidents have been impeached in the past, no president has ever been convicted by the Senate and removed from office.
Former President Donald Trump holds the distinction of being impeached twice. The first impeachment occurred in December 2019, when the then-Democratic-controlled House charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in relation to communications with the Ukrainian president.
He was impeached a second time in January 2021, just a week before leaving office, on an article accusing him of incitement of an insurrection related to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach, which caused a significant delay in the congressional certification of the 2020 election. On both occasions, he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
President Trump became the third president to be impeached, following President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and President Bill Clinton in 1998, both of whom were also acquitted by the Senate.
President Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974 after the House initiated impeachment proceedings against him but before he could be impeached.
Litany of Lawsuits
Attorney Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice, a conservative legal advocacy nonprofit, predicts that the impeachment inquiry will lead to a flurry of litigation.
“The whole point of an inquiry is to gather more facts and determine if impeachment is warranted,” he told The Epoch Times. “Along the way, a lot of lawyers will make a lot of money.”
Just as President Trump “didn’t want to hand over his taxes, Biden will do everything not to hand over anything they ask for.”
When demands for evidence are refused, lawsuits will inevitably follow in federal court.
If the Biden administration invokes executive privilege, “that can be fought out in the courts,” Mr. Levey said.
In theory, administration officials could also be accused of obstructing Congress, but those charges can only be pursued in court if the administration chooses to do so.
Such legal disputes could be appealed, and ultimately, it would be up to the Supreme Court to decide “if the Supreme Court wants to deal with it,” Mr. Levey added.
Expanded Congressional Powers
Mr. McCarthy revealed that the impeachment-related investigations will be led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee; Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
While these committees already possess broad investigative powers, their authority could be further refined and clarified if the House passes a resolution outlining ground rules for the impeachment proceedings.
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