Missouri Republican to help lead House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from southeastern Missouri, was chosen Tuesday to lead an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his son’s international business deals while Biden was serving as vice president.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, announced an impeachment inquiry into Biden, alleging a “culture of corruption” in the Biden family and accused the Department of Justice of covering for the Biden family in a brief press conference. He did not take questions.

“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption,” McCarthy said. “And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”

The House has not formally voted over whether to launch an impeachment inquiry, which is an investigation into potential wrongdoing by a constitutional officer. Instead, McCarthy directed three House committees — Ways and Means, Oversight and Judiciary — to conduct an inquiry.

If the investigation finds evidence of “high crimes or misdemeanors” the House can then hold an impeachment vote. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate holds a trial on whether to convict the constitutional officer.

Former President Donald Trump was impeached twice by a Democratic-controlled House during his four-year term, first over allegations that he would withhold funding for Ukraine unless they dug up information on Biden and then after his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol when he refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. He was the third president to be impeached, after former Presidents Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson. Former President Richard Nixon resigned before the House could vote to impeach after the Watergate scandal.

In a statement, the Biden campaign accused McCarthy of acting as a political arm of Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign, saying the Republicans were attacking Biden and his family while pointing out that McCarthy said recently that he wouldn’t bring an impeachment inquiry without getting a full vote from the caucus.

“McCarthy unequivocally said he would not move forward with an impeachment inquiry without holding a vote on the House floor. What has changed since then?” said Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for the Biden campaign. “Several members of the Speaker’s own conference have come out and publicly panned impeachment as a political stunt, pointing out there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden as Republicans litigate the same debunked conspiracy theories they’ve investigated for over four years.”

House Democrats defended Biden, saying Republicans are already investigating the Biden family and have yet to find evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Rep. Sharice Davids, a Johnson County Democrat, said she hasn’t seen enough evidence to warrant an inquiry. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, said McCarthy was catering to the most extreme members of the Republican Party in an attempt to distract from a potential government shutdown.

“Although not surprising, it is deeply disappointing that Speaker McCarthy continues to succumb to the demands of the most extreme, far-right members of the Republican party, choosing chaos and partisan politics over stability and responsible governance for the American people,” Cleaver said. “While the Speaker caters to this kind of radical, unpopular politics, Democrats and I will continue working to defend the truth, keep the government open, and legislate on behalf of hardworking families in Missouri and beyond.”

Smith, 43, is the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He was chosen to lead the inquiry alongside Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, and Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.

A spokesman for Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

House Republicans launched an investigation into Hunter Biden, the president’s son, shortly after taking control in January. The investigation, spearheaded by the House Oversight Committee, has uncovered a complicated web of international business ties and evidence that Hunter Biden took advantage of his family name when trying to win over potential clients.

In particular, one of Biden’s business partners, Devon Archer, testified that Hunter Biden liked to give the impression that hiring him would allow access to his father, who was vice president at the time.

But Archer did not provide any evidence that the vice president was involved in his son’s business deals and the committee has yet to present evidence that Biden was influenced by his son’s business dealings.

McCarthy said he chose to launch the inquiry because he felt the American people “deserved answers” to questions about his family’s business dealings. But it comes as McCarthy is facing pressure from the more hard-line conservatives in his caucus on a number of issues like funding for border security and steeper cuts to government spending than McCarthy agreed to in an earlier deal to avoid default on the national debt.

It also comes as Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, has faced multiple indictments from the Department of Justice.

Rep. Mark Alford, a Cass County Republican, said he believed the investigation would help uncover answers about Biden’s conduct.

“Joe Biden’s pattern of behavior is deeply disturbing and concerning for our national security,” Alford said. “We will soon get the answers that the American people are owed.”