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By Miriam Raftery
Photo: C-span screenshot of impeachment inquiry opening hearing
September 29, 2023 (Washington D.C.) – With a government shutdown set to cripple the economy just days away, House Republicans have failed to pass a budget and instead, focused their efforts on opening an impeachment inquiring hearing yesterday. The GOP leaders say the hearing aims to investigate claims of corruption or bribery involving President Joe Biden, but even expert witnesses called by the Republicans testified that so far, there is no solid evidence to support such claims.
This is not a hearing that will result in a vote to impeach the president, but rather an impeachment inquiry to determine whether or not there is evidence of any high crimes or misdemeanors that could warrant a separate impeachment hearing.
Meanwhile a vote to prevent a shutdown failed, as Republicans in the House reneged on an earlier budget agreement with Biden. Even a stopgap spending measure has thus far failed, meaning in two days, federal workers will stop getting paid for jobs ranging from military positions to TSA agents at airports, national park rangers to Border Patrol officers.
The allegations against the {President date back to when Biden was vice president his son, Hunter Biden, served on the board of directors of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Biden has previously stated that he had no involvement in his son’s business dealings, though Hunter Biden did speak with his father on the phone during some business meetings and likely capitalized on his famous name. But there’s no evidence that Biden spoke with or had business dealings with his son’s clients.
Republicans have thus far refused requests by Democrats to call Rudy Giuliana or his associate Lev Parnas as witnesses. Parnas has previously provided a statement from a top official at Burisma holdings, who stated, “No one from Burisma had any contacts with VIP Biden or people working for him.”
Rep. James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, claimed there is a “mountain of evidence” to show that Joe Biden “abused the public office for his family’s private gain.” But he failed to show any such evidence.
Republicans have claimed to have documents that show Hunter Biden received payments from a Chinese national sent to Joe Biden’s home address. However, Hunter Biden’s attorney has said that Hunter Biden was living at his father’s house at the time and listed that address on his driver’s license. CNN reports the payments were for a loan, and that there is no evidence the transaction was illegal.
Republicans have claimed that “shell companies” were used to hide payments to Biden family members. But the Washington Post says those companies had “legitimate business interests” or “clearly identified business investments.” Though Hunter Biden and his business associates did apparently profit from those companies, no evidence has been presented that this was illegal, let along that Joe Biden profited off those business transactions.
House Oversight Committee Republicans have subpoenaed thousands of Biden family banking records. But so far, of 12,000 pages the committee has received, “not a single page shows a dime going to President Joe Biden,” according to Rep.Jamie Rankin, the top Democrat on the committee.
Conservative law professor Jonathan Turley from George Washington University told the committee, “I do not believe that the current evidence would support articles of impeachment,” though he added that he did support an inquiry to determine whether or not any such evidence exists. Asked by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) if he would vote “no” on impeachment as of now, Turley replied, “On this evidence, certainly.”
Despite the lack of evidence thus far,Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greene called Biden the “most corrupt president in the history of the United States.
Yet she has failed to show any concern over former President Donald Trump, who has had his family charity, Trump university, and businesses in New York all ordered shut down by courts due to fraud. Trump also faces 91 criminal counts in four different jurisdictions including charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results through a conspiracy including fake electors and the capitol insurrection, as well as refusing to return classified documents and paying hush money to a porn star.
Democrats have asked why House Republicans have refused to authorize inquiries into allegations of corruption involving Trump’s family members, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, who served in Trump’s White House and pocketed billions of dollars in foreign money, including Saudi Arabia.
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