after the opening of an impeachment inquiry, Joe Biden castigates a “baseless political scheme” by the Republicans

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the formal opening of an investigation, motivated by the controversial affairs of his son, Hunter Biden, abroad. However, this procedure has very little chance of success.

The US House of Representatives approved, on Wednesday, December 13, the formal opening of an impeachment investigation into Joe Biden, motivated by the controversial affairs of his son, Hunter Biden, abroad. This procedure, which has little chance of success, has been described as “unfounded political scheme” by the American president. However, it could turn into a headache for the White House before the presidential election in November 2024, for which Joe Biden is a candidate. A first impeachment investigation was launched by the Republicans in September.

Republicans, in the majority in the House of Representatives since January, accuse the Democratic leader of having used his influence when he was vice-president of Barack Obama (2009-2017) to allow his son to do questionable business in China and in Ukraine. “Joe Biden repeatedly lied to the American people”, accused the head of the House investigative committee, James Comer, in the chamber. Accusations denied outright by the head of state, the Democrats, and his son. “Instead of working to make Americans’ lives better, their priority is to attack me with lies”regretted Joe Biden in a press release.

“My father was never financially involved in my business.”

Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden

at a press conference

Present before the American Congress, the fifty-year-old, with a past marked by addictions and indicted in two cases by the courts, admitted having done “errors” in his life. But he accused “the Trumpists” for trying to “dehumanize”For “harm” to his father. “There is no evidence that President Biden committed any wrongdoing”added the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, on Wednesday.

The American Constitution provides that Congress (House of Representatives and Senate, where Democrats are in the majority) can impeach the president in the event of “treason, corruption or other high crimes and misdemeanors”. But never has a president been impeached in American history. Three were impeached (Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021) but all were ultimately acquitted.