US House of Representatives Republicans have released a report listing President Joe Biden’s actions that could lead to his impeachment, Reuters reports.
The 291-page report by three House committees alleges that Biden profited from an influence peddling scheme to enrich himself and his family members through overseas business transactions since 2014, when Biden was vice president. The report said:
The committees present this information to the House of Representatives for its evaluation and consideration of appropriate next steps.
It was unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, would schedule a vote on Biden’s impeachment weeks before the November 5 election.
Even if the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passes such a measure, it is unlikely that Biden would be removed from office, given that he must be convicted by a Senate controlled 51-49 by his own Democratic Party. Biden is due to leave office when his successor is sworn in on January 20.
Democrats saw it as retaliation against Trump, who has twice been impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate each time. During the first impeachment trial, it was alleged that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to help smear Biden in exchange for US aid.
House impeachment proceedings against Biden’s top border security official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, were quickly halted by the Senate in April. Johnson praised the committees’ work in a statement and said House Republicans “urge all Americans to familiarise themselves with this report.”
House investigators allege that Biden used his influence to profit from business dealings his son, Hunter Biden, had with associates in Ukraine, China, Russia and other countries.
Hunter Biden has been convicted on charges that he lied about his illegal drug use to buy weapons and is awaiting trial on tax evasion charges, including an allegation that he accepted payments from a Romanian businessman who sought to influence US government agencies in connection with a criminal investigation in Romania.
Biden announced his withdrawal from the election race on July 21, and the incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris became the new Democratic candidate. She received the support of 99 per cent of Democratic Party delegates. Her main rival in the election is former US President Donald Trump.
