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Democrats see the hand of Trump behind impeachment move against Biden

Republicans vote to authorise impeachment investigation into president over alleged links to son’s business affairs

Joe Biden is accused by Republicans of politically assisting his son, Hunter, when he was working for businesses in Ukraine or China. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

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Martin Wall Washington Correspondent
Thu Dec 14 2023 - 08:11

The impeachment vote by Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday will give more formal standing to investigations into US president Joe Biden and his family that began in recent months.

So far Republicans have, using subpoena powers, secured more than 36,000 pages of bank records, 2,000 pages of suspicious activity reports from the US treasury department and have heard from several witnesses.

However, to date, while Republicans have made many allegations, nothing has emerged that would clear the bar of “high crimes and misdemeanours” in the US constitution as grounds for removing a president.

Republicans are seeking evidence to back up their view that Joe Biden either politically assisted his son, Hunter, when he was working for businesses in Ukraine or China or received money for any such favours.

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Several Republicans argued that the vote on Wednesday was simply a procedural matter that will give the investigating committees more powers when dealing with the White House, courts or other bodies regarding the provision of documents and other evidence.

Republicans are unlikely to make real political gains from Hunter Biden’s legal tax woes, or to successfully link them to his father, say political experts.

They claim there is no preordained plan to bring articles of impeachment against Joe Biden – which, if passed, would lead to a trial in the Senate with his presidency on the line.

[ News report: Republican-controlled US House of Representatives votes to improve Biden impeachment inquiry ]

Many observers, in both Biden’s Democratic Party and in the media in the US, are sceptical.

After all 2024 is an election year and the right wing base of the party is likely to want its politicians to go as far as they can in attacking Biden.

And one right-wing politician, Marjorie Taylor Greene, publicly called for Biden’s impeachment on his first full day in office.

Democrats see in the whole affair the hand of Donald Trump who was twice impeached while in the White House. Democrats contend he is still seething about his impeachments and is out for revenge.

Massachusetts congressman Jim McGovern said: “We are here for one reason and one reason alone. Donald Trump demanded that Republicans impeach, so they are going to impeach.”

Biden accused Republicans of engaging in a “baseless impeachment stunt”.

“I wake up every day focused on the issues facing the American people – real issues that impact their lives, and the strength and security of our country and the world. Unfortunately, House Republicans are not joining me. Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies.”

The vote to begin the formal impeachment investigation came just hours after Biden’s son Hunter defied a subpoena issued by Republicans to sit for a private deposition as part of their investigation. He said he would testify in public.

Speaking at the steps of the US Capitol, Hunter Biden strongly denied Joe Biden was involved in his business affairs.

“My father was not financially involved in my business – not as a practising lawyer, not as a board member of [Ukrainian company] Burisma, not my partnership with a Chinese private businessman, not in my investments at home nor abroad and certainly not as an artist.”

Some Republican politicians representing constituencies won by Biden in the 2020 election had initially appeared uneasy about backing the formal impeachment investigation before eventually falling into line with their colleagues.

Sooner or later they may have to make a bigger call on whether they will back articles of impeachment to try eject Biden from the White House if no real evidence of wrongdoing is produced.

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