McCarthy: Allegations of abuse of office require a deeper investigation into President Biden

2023-09-13 16:12:11, Kosova & Bota CNA

McCarthy: Allegations of abuse of office require a deeper investigation into

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday that lawmakers will launch investigations to determine whether there are grounds for impeachment against President Joe Biden. The decision is a further step in the investigation into allegations that President Biden benefited from the foreign business deals of his son Hunter Biden.

After months of investigation, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives committees will begin investigations into whether or not to impeach President Joe Biden.

"Through our investigations we have discovered that President Biden lied to the American people about his knowledge of his family's foreign business connections."

Lawmaker McCarthy's announcement follows months of pressure from conservative lawmakers.

"I think that if other citizens had committed the same violations that the President has committed, they would be in court right now," said Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative House of Representatives caucus.

Democrats say Republicans have failed to secure any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden after months of investigations in which tens of thousands of documents were turned over to investigators.

"The decision to investigate President Biden is absurd. The American people want us to do something to improve their lives, not engage in investigations and witch hunts," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Republicans have a very slight lead in the House of Representatives, with only five more lawmakers than Democrats.

"It is also possible that the charges against President Biden will not reach the Senate. With a slim majority, it is not clear how Republicans would be able to secure the necessary votes. They cannot count on the support of any Democratic legislators. So they must maintain the unity and support of each of their members. If they lose the support of just five of them, they won't be able to pass impeachment charges," says Michael Thorning of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Some Republicans have expressed concern about deepening investigations into President Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said in the past that impeachment of a President should be a process rare, declined to comment Tuesday.

"We now have a lot of work, we are trying to approve the budget", he said.

The announcement of the probe also sets up a new showdown between Congress and the White House, as lawmakers must reach a deal with President Biden to keep the government open after funding runs out on Sept. 30. If there is a government shutdown, the committees of the House of Representatives would not be able to continue the investigations against President Biden./ VOA