Drama in the US: Republicans announce impeachment proceedings against Biden

September 12, 2023   

Republicans announced today (Tuesday) that they are launching impeachment proceedings by the House of Representatives against United States President Joe Biden - due to concerns that he profited from the dubious business dealings of his son Hunter. This is despite the fact that the official investigation has found no indication of the president's involvement. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who announced the start of the proceedings, said: "The investigation will focus on the question of whether Biden benefited from the dealings of his son Hunter. "These are allegations of abuse and corruption that warrant a House investigation." He added: "That's why today I have decided to direct our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden." This is, of course, a huge step for McCarthy and House Republicans. The investigations so far have not revealed direct evidence that Biden personally benefited from his son's businesses. Now it remains to be seen whether there are 218 Republicans in the House of Representatives who will vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry. Some moderate Republicans have been skeptical about the need for an impeachment inquiry. If so, McCarthy will have to rally all Republicans to the cause. In order to open an impeachment proceeding, there is no need for criminal or legal evidence, and in fact, although the process is called a trial, it is not conducted according to normal legal rules, with regard to evidence or proof of guilt. The impeachment proceeding, if and when it begins, is expected to end in a conviction, because of the Republican majority in the House. The House of Representatives. But from there the process moves to the Senate, where it will stall because the Republicans in the Senate do not have the required majority to impeach a president. The White House condemned the House of Representatives' decision to impeach the president, saying in response: "This is politics at its worst. The Republicans have been investigating for nine months and have found no evidence against the president." The investigation, which is in fact an impeachment process, has been carried out several times against sitting presidents, but only three have actually been impeached in the House of Representatives: Johnson, Clinton, and Trump. The three did not achieve actual impeachment, as they were later acquitted by the Senate.