Republicans push Biden impeachment report despite lack of evidence

WASHINGTON:

Congressional Republicans filed a formal case on Monday to impeach US President Joe Biden, using the opening day of the Democratic National Convention to launch a political attack that is unlikely to gain serious traction.

The report by three powerful Republican-led House committees accuses Biden of corruption linked to his son Hunter’s foreign business affairs.

Jim Jordan, head of the Judiciary Committee, said the investigation showed “conclusively” that Biden had “abused his public office for the private financial benefit of the Biden family and Biden’s business associates.”

“President Biden’s legacy is marked by abuse of public office, corruption and obstruction. The evidence produced by our impeachment inquiry is the strongest impeachment case against a sitting president the House has ever investigated,” said James Comer. , head of the Parliament. Oversight and Accountability Committee.

However, there is no evidence that Biden ever used his office to benefit his son or that he was involved in Hunter’s business. There was no smoking gun in a document that relied on inferences and innuendos about father-son relationships.

Biden — who is set to deliver a swan song speech at the Democratic convention and pass the political torch to his running mate Kamala Harris — has repeatedly denied helping his son’s business ventures, including in Ukraine and China .

Republicans have for years used Hunter Biden’s foreign ties and chaotic personal life as a recovering drug addict to try to embarrass the president.

But the marathon efforts to build an impeachment case against Biden — seen by many as an effort to avenge Republican Donald Trump’s two impeachments while he was president — never came close to an actual House vote.

Republicans hold only a slim majority and will likely fail to maintain unanimity on impeaching Biden, risking serious embarrassment.