US: Speaker McCarthy directs House committees to open Biden impeachment inquiry
Sep 12, 2023
Washington, DC [US], September 13 : Speaker Kevin McCarthy authorised House committees on Tuesday to launch a formal impeachment probe on US President Joe Biden based on the House GOP's investigations into his family's foreign business ties and the prosecution of his son Hunter Biden, The Hill reported.
McCarthy stated that the investigation will be overseen by House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), in collaboration with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.)
“Today, I am directing our House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” McCarthy said in a brief statement at the Capitol on Tuesday, according to The Hill.
“I do not make this decision lightly. And regardless of your party, or who you voted for these facts should concern all Americans,” he added.
McCarthy's formal support for impeachment comes after he previously stated that he believed the House probes would eventually lead to an impeachment investigation.
The House Oversight Committee has not concluded that Biden directly benefited financially from his son Hunter Biden's business operations or that he made any policy judgements as a result of them in the months that it has been studying them.
The White House, which has aggressively opposed GOP efforts to initiate an impeachment investigation, said earlier on Tuesday that launching a formal investigation is "red meat" for the Republican base.
“Opening impeachment despite zero evidence of wrongdoing by POTUS is simply red meat for the extreme rightwing so they can keep baselessly attacking him,” Ian Sams, White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, wrote on X, reported The Hill.
Moreover, the US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also chastised former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in 2019 for launching an impeachment investigation without a formal House vote.
McCarthy, however, would not indicate whether a formal House vote on opening an investigation will be held on Tuesday, despite previously promising to do so.
