'Baseless Political Stunt': Biden As US House Approves Impeachment Inquiry

The House of Representatives, controlled by the Republicans voted 221-212 and approved the impeachment inquiry against US President Joe Biden.

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday formally authorised to proceed with the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden with Republicans united behind the effort despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat, reported Reuters. The President has dismissed the inquiry, and called it a "baseless political stunt".

The chamber, controlled by the Republicans, voted 221-212 along party lines to initiate a probe to examine whether Biden improperly benefited from his 53-year-old son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, the report added.

The report said the step was taken hours after Hunter Biden refused a call to testify behind closed doors. The inquiry, according to The Guardian, can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president: removal from office if convicted in a Senate trial.

Meanwhile, reacting to it, the US president questioned the priorities of the Republicans and said, "Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies. Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts," as quoted by The Guardian.

Biden is seeking re-election in 2024 against, possibly the top Republican contender, Donald Trump.

Can Biden Be Removed From Office By House?

If the House of Representatives votes to impeach Joe Biden, the matter would then be taken to Senate which would have to vote and convict the President by a two-thirds vote. This is nearly impossible as Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, Reuters added in the report.

However, the efforts by the Republicans would highlight their allegations of corruption through the 2024 campaign.

The decision to hold a vote was taken as speaker Mike Johnson and his team faced intense pressure to show progress in nearly a year-long probe into the business dealings of Biden’s family members. While their investigation has raised ethical questions, no evidence has come forth suggesting Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes in his current role or previous office as vice-president.

"We do not take this responsibility lightly and will not prejudge the investigation’s outcome. But the evidentiary record is impossible to ignore," Johnson and his leadership team said in a joint statement after the vote quoted The Guardian.