'There's no evidence': Republicans and Democrats argue as House approves Biden impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON, DC: In a shocking turn of events, Republicans and Democrats locked horns as the House authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Wednesday, December 13.

In a party-line vote, the Republican-controlled House voted 221-212 to approve the investigation, which is looking into whether Biden unjustly profited from his 53-year-old son Hunter Biden's international business ventures.

Granting permission for the lengthy investigation guarantees that the impeachment process would last well into 2024 when Biden is expected to compete for re-election and confront former President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached during his time in the White House.

The choice to hold a vote was made in response to mounting pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson and his staff to provide proof of advancement in the almost year-long investigation into the financial activities of Biden's family members.

Despite ethical concerns caused by their inquiry, there is no proof that 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.

How did President Biden react to the vote?

In an unusual statement regarding the impeachment attempt, Biden questioned the House Republicans' intentions for initiating an investigation into him and his family.

“Instead of doing anything to help make Americans’ lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies,” the president said following the vote, according to Associate Press.

“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,” the statement continued.

The White House has dismissed the inquiry as unsubstantiated by facts and politically motivated. Ian Sams, the White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, also described the impeachment inquiry as a ‘baseless stunt’.

"The American people are yet again going to see a clear contrast in priorities: President Biden who is focused on solving the challenges facing America and the world, and extreme House Republicans who only focus on stupid stunts to get attention for themselves," Sams said in a statement last week.

Republicans and Democrats argue over the vote

The approval of the impeachment inquiry into the Biden family has caused chaos in the House, with Republicans saying that the vote was necessary to grant them complete authority to proceed with their investigation in the face of impending legal challenges from the White House.

Meanwhile, Democrats have called the investigation a political gimmick and a fishing expedition.

Following the approval, Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma and the chairman of the Rules Committee, described the vote as essentially a procedural move to support the House's investigative authority.

“Since September, the House has been engaged in an impeachment inquiry, examining whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to exercise constitutional power to impeach the president of the United States,” Cole said, according to the NY Times.

“Today’s resolution simply formalizes that inquiry, and grants the House full authority to enforce its subpoenas that have been denied as recently as today,” he continued.

However, Massachusetts Democrat Representative Jim McGovern asserted that there was nothing but rank politics at play during the voting.

“We are here for one reason and one reason alone: Donald Trump demanded that Republicans impeach, so they are going to impeach,” McGovern said, adding “They are weaponizing and abusing impeachment, one of the most somber and serious things that Congress can do, to attack President Joe Biden.”

Addressing approval votes, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi dismissed the calls for impeachment as a “sham”. “House Republicans are pushing a sham impeachment to distract from their failure to meet the kitchen table needs of the people and from their harrowing assaults on women’s reproductive freedoms,” she tweeted.

“Democrats will not lose focus — we will keep working to deliver jobs and justice,” her post continued.

Following the voting, Rep Adam Schiff also denounced Republicans, saying “I just voted NO on MAGA Republicans’ sham impeachment inquiry. They have no evidence.”

“But they also have no agenda to move the country forward. So this was the result,” he continued in his Twitter post.

Rep Jamie Raskin, D-Md, also echoed Schiff’s sentiments, stating “What is the crime that Joe Biden is being accused of? They don’t have it.”

Raskin is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, which is one of three committees tasked with leading the investigation into Biden.

However, Rep Mike Garcia, R-Calif, claimed that the Republicans “have enough information and testimony and evidence right now to continue the process of the inquiry,” according to US Today.