US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has made a major announcement, declaring a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The inquiry is focused on allegations of corruption surrounding Biden’s alleged profiteering from his son’s foreign business dealings. McCarthy stated that there are “serious and credible” allegations that point to a culture of corruption within the Biden administration.
During a press conference on Capitol Hill, McCarthy revealed that the Republican-run House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee have gathered evidence suggesting that Biden and his family received approximately $20 million in payments through shell companies from his son Hunter’s business partners in Ukraine, China, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The US Treasury Department has flagged 150 of these transactions as “suspicious.”
The oversight committee has specifically accused Biden of using his influence as vice president in 2015 to pressure the Ukrainian government into firing prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma, an energy company that Hunter was working for at the time. While Biden admitted to using US aid money as leverage to have Shokin removed, he denied ever discussing his son’s work at Burisma. However, the committee claims that Biden made at least 20 calls to his son during Burisma’s meetings with clients, with the company using these calls to highlight its ties to Washington.
McCarthy further criticized the Biden administration, alleging that the president’s family has received special treatment. He referred to a plea deal offered to Hunter Biden by the Justice Department, in which he would plead guilty to several charges in exchange for dropping an investigation into whether he acted as an illegal foreign agent. McCarthy sees this as evidence of preferential treatment.
The announcement by McCarthy is just the first step in a potential impeachment process against Biden. The House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees will conduct investigations and decide whether to file articles of impeachment against the president. If the House of Representatives votes to adopt the articles, a trial will take place in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is needed to convict and remove the president from office.
It is worth noting that former President Donald Trump was impeached twice during his tenure. He was first impeached for allegedly pressuring the Ukrainian president to investigate the Biden family’s activities in Ukraine. The second impeachment came following accusations that Trump incited the January 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill. However, Trump was acquitted both times by the Senate.
The outcome of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden remains uncertain at this stage. The allegations of corruption will be thoroughly investigated by the relevant committees, and the decision on whether to move forward with impeachment will depend on the findings.
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