WASHINGTON: US House Republicans on Monday issued a report alleging that Democratic President Joe Biden committed impeachable offenses, but it was unclear whether they would push for a vote following an investigation the White House has long dismissed as politically motivated.
A 291-page report by three House committees alleged that Biden benefited from a influence-peddling scheme to enrich himself and family members through overseas business dealings beginning in 2014, when Biden was vice president.
“The committees present this information to the House of Representatives for review and consideration of appropriate next steps,” the report said.
It was unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, would schedule a vote to impeach Biden in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election, in which Republican Donald Trump is engaged in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Even if the Republican-controlled House of Representatives were to pass such a measure, it would be unlikely to remove Biden from office, given that he would have to be convicted by a Senate controlled 51-49 by his own Democratic Party. Biden, who withdrew his own reelection bid last month, is due to leave office when his successor is sworn in on Jan. 20.
Democrats have disparaged the effort as retaliation against Trump, who was impeached twice by the Democratic-controlled House and acquitted both times by the Senate. The first impeachment alleged that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help smear Biden in exchange for U.S. aid.
In April, the Senate quickly ended an impeachment trial against Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Johnson, in a statement, praised the committees' work and said House Republicans “encourage all Americans to read this report.”
House investigators say Biden used his influence to benefit his son, Hunter Biden's, business dealings with partners in Ukraine, China, Russia and other countries.
Hunter Biden has been convicted on charges that he lied about his illegal drug use to buy a gun and is awaiting trial on tax evasion charges, including an allegation that he accepted payments from a Romanian businessman who tried to influence U.S. government agencies in connection with a criminal investigation in Romania.
The impeachment inquiry, which lawmakers formally authorized last December and has been conducted by the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees, has been criticized by members of both parties for failing to present compelling evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.
