Republicans are investigating corruption allegations against Biden family in push rejected by White House as baseless.
(AL Jazeera) – Republican legislators in the United States have opened the first hearing of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, promising to delve into allegations of corruption against the Biden family as a government shutdown looms.
As the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing began on Thursday morning, the Republican chair of the panel, James Comer, said the probe so far “has uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden has used his public office for his family’s financial gain”.
“For years, President Biden has lied to the American people about his knowledge of and participation in his family’s corrupt business schemes,” said Comer, referencing allegations that largely centre of the foreign business dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter.
Republicans have sought an investigation into the Biden family’s affairs since the party took control of the House of Representatives at the beginning of the year, but Democrats have slammed the impeachment push as politically motivated and baseless.
The White House also has rejected the corruption allegations, with a spokesman calling the inquiry “extreme politics at its worst”.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy directed House committees earlier this month to open the impeachment process, saying investigations up until that point had uncovered a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family.
“These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy told reporters on September 12.
