US House Votes to Formalize Biden Impeachment Inquiry

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• The US House of Representatives voted Wednesday along party lines 221-212 to formalize an impeachment inquiry into Democratic Pres. Joe Biden, following Republican allegations that Biden and his family have taken part in an "influence peddling" scheme with foreign entities for financial gain ¹
• While focusing on the president, Republicans have also used their inquiry to look into his son, Hunter Biden, and overseas business deals that they claim may have benefited the elder Biden. ²
• The impeachment probe was opened in September by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) without a formal vote. ³
• By formalizing the probe, Republicans hope they’ll have more success obtaining information from the White House, which in turn says it has cooperated fully with the investigation. ³
• This came the same day the Hunter Biden — who claims that his father had no involvement in his business dealings — defied a House committee subpoena for a closed-door deposition, saying he would only provide his testimony publicly.⁴
• Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement from Biden saying Congress needs to "take action on important priorities for the nation and world" rather than focusing on a "baseless political stunt ... not supported by facts." ⁵

Sources: ¹NPR Online News, ²Associated Press, ³USA Today, ⁴Reuters, and ⁵The White House.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. A political victory for Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans, investigations into the Bidens' dodgy business dealings are about uncovering the truth. Although Biden might not ultimately be impeached, it’s still important to follow the evidence to the end and inform the American electorate of Biden's true nature prior to next year's presidential election.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Los Angeles Times. Instead of addressing Americans’ concerns on issues of real substance, House Republicans are going on a wild goose chase without any evidence. If they truly wished to deliver meaningful good, they would stop prioritizing this sham over passing much-needed legislation. This impeachment vote merely reaffirms that Republicans are not fit to govern public office.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by The Washington Times. As seen with Trump in 2019, and now with Biden, the possibility of impeachment – once the heavyweight of public office discipline – has become a fickle and arbitrary threat used by both sides of the political spectrum. For such a tool to be abused by both Republicans and Democrats is embarrassing and highlights how low American politics has fallen in recent years.
• Nerd narrative, as provided by Metaculus. There's a 25% chance that Biden will be impeached by the House, according to the Metaculus prediction community.