The President of the US House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, announced in a press conference on Tuesday that he was giving the green light for the previous steps an impeachment proceeding to Joe Biden for his son’s million-dollar business abroad. This begins an investigation that could lead to a vote in the House of Representatives itself, where Republicans are in the majority, and then to an impeachment trial in the Senate, which Democrats control.
This is a concession by McCarthy to the far-right wing of his party, which has been pushing for him to agree to this move for months. To approve impeachment in the House of Representatives, a simple majority is required, which Republicans have. To convict, challenge and remove the president from office, more is needed: a supermajority in the Senate that no party has. Therefore, like the two impeachment trials against Trump, Biden’s trial is doomed from the start in this final phase.
Impeachment, originally intended as a constitutional last resort for extreme cases of misconduct in office, has become a common tool in the political arsenal. In US history, there have only been four presidents to be impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021. Trump is notable for being the only president who faced this procedure twice.
As McCarthy said in his announcement, “These are serious allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption… They deserve further investigation by the House of Representatives.” That’s why today I’m calling on a House committee to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Let’s see where the evidence takes us.
No proof
The question of Biden’s son’s business dealings in Ukraine and China was already linked to an earlier impeachment trial. In 2019, Democrats accused Trump of demanding that Ukraine investigate Hunter Biden as a condition to receive military support President Volodymyr Zelensky did not do what Trump asked him to do. Since then, no judicial investigation has found evidence that the current president benefited from his son’s businesses. Hunter Biden has been cooperating with prosecutors in an investigation that accuses him of failing to pay taxes and illegally possessing weapons, even as he awaits trial after a plea deal fell through.
McCarthy has appointed Representatives James Comer of Kentucky, Jason Smith of Missouri and Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead the investigation. All three are considered Trump confidants who have been indicted twice: for pressuring Ukraine and for looting the Capitol. There is currently no date set for Biden’s impeachment trial. The presidential election is November 5, 2024, so there is still time to move forward during the primaries. After his first impeachment, Trump rose in the polls.
The chamber is renewed every two years, so parliamentary elections will take place on November 5th in addition to the presidential elections
According to Biden advisor Ian Sams: “The Republicans in the House of Representatives have been investigating the president for nine months and have found no evidence of wrongdoing.” The party members themselves have said it. McCarthy himself promised it hold a vote to see whether it was appropriate to open a political process and now he has given in because he doesn’t have enough support. “This is political extremism at its worst.”
McCarthy has been leader of the House of Representatives since January after his party narrowly won the midterm elections a year ago. He has a minimal majority and needs the almost seamless support of his bank for every intervention. The most radical MPs in his party have been calling for impeachment proceedings to be opened since he took office. In fact, they even voted against his candidacy for chairman of the House of Representatives, forcing him to run 15 times until he won the office.
The chamber is renewed every two years, so on November 5th, together with the presidential elections, Parliamentary elections are taking place. There the Republicans risk the majority and the Democrats hope to retain control of the Senate.
The latter have denounced that the legislature has been blown up. Reacting to the decision, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “regrettable, reckless and reprehensible.” “It’s political revenge,” he said on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
Didn’t take any questions
At the announcement, McCarthy spoke for just three minutes before leaving the podium and not answering questions. His decision comes at a critical time as the House faces a September 30 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown like those in 2018 and 2019. The Republican leader has been trying to win support within his party for a funding bill from lawmakers on the party’s most right wing.
What is striking is that McCarthy’s announcement is not enough for the radical wing of the Republican Party. One of Trump’s closest confidants, Matt Gaetz, acknowledged the success of the impeachment trial, but demanded much more. “This is a small step after weeks of pressure “We are calling on conservatives in the House of Representatives to do more,” Gaetz said. “We have to move faster.” Gaetz accused McCarthy of violating an agreement the California Republican made to win enough support to be elected House speaker in January. President, you are violating the agreement that allowed you to assume this position. The path for the House of Representatives is either to force him to immediately and fully comply with the agreement or to remove him from the presidency pursuant to a motion to resign.
What is striking is that McCarthy’s announcement is not enough for the radical wing of the Republican Party
The impeachment process is complex and will take months. After the initial investigation that McCarthy is now launching, a member of the House of Representatives will submit an impeachment resolution that will be analyzed by the Judiciary Committee. If the articles of impeachment are approved, a simple majority in the House of Representatives will be needed to move on to the Senate, where a trial with both impeachment and defense will take place. It takes conviction in the Senate the vote of two-thirds of the senators. Despite several impeachment attempts throughout the country’s history, no US president has ever been removed from office through this process.
In the two trials opened against Trump, the Republicans condemned political motivations and refused to cooperate. They voted against every proposal, including the one opened after the sacking of the Capitol. Now it is the judiciary that is investigating Trump for his false fraud allegations and alleged incitement of rebellion in 2021.
