The impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden: the most important cases in brief Due to alleged abuse of office, the court confirms the charges against Serbian leader Dodik

They have found evidence of misconduct by President Biden and his family, it is claimed. This misconduct could rise to the level of serious crimes, Republicans argue. Therefore, at the request of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an impeachment inquiry has been ordered.

The focus is – again – on Biden’s son Hunter: there are now credible allegations that Biden himself was involved in his son Hunter’s illegal activities. However, further research is necessary. Others doubt whether there is actually any new evidence – and see McCarthy’s decision as a strategic move.

It is still completely unclear whether impeachment proceedings can ultimately be initiated, but the chance of success is generally estimated to be low.

This is what is known so far:

It’s all about this

The Republicans, with their majority in the House of Representatives, have been investigating the Biden family’s financial transactions for months. This concerns, among other things, Hunter Biden’s business transactions abroad and the question of whether Joe Biden, then as American vice president, could have used his political influence for this.

Specifically, McCarthy claims, for example: Joe Biden has made false statements about his son’s affairsand what he knew about it. Moreover, the president (then vice president) is said to have actively requested orders for his son, which “resulted in cars and millions of dollars going to his sons and his son’s business partners.” Furthermore, it seems as if Joe Biden’s family received special treatment from his own administration – treatment “they otherwise would not have received if they were not related to the president.”

“These are allegations of abuse of power, cover-up and corruption, and they warrant further investigation,” McCarthy said.

However, a White House spokesperson countered: In nine months, Republicans have found no evidence of misconduct by Biden.

Here’s how other Republicans are responding

While some Republicans welcomed McCarthy’s move, other party colleagues spoke out unusually open and skeptical.

Representative Ken Buck told NBC he needed to see evidence — so far he hadn’t been able to see any connection between Joe Biden and his son’s affairs. “That is why I hesitate to agree with Chairman McCarthy.” An unnamed Republican senator told the news portal “The Hill”: ‘That’s a waste of time. That’s useless.” In the Senate, which would ultimately have to decide on impeachment, there would be no chance of Biden being found guilty, he emphasized. The whole thing does not help in the election campaign. (More information about the specific allegations can be found here.)

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito told the portal that the action was “frustrating.” Senior Senate Republican John Thune said McCarthy was under intense pressure in his group. “I don’t think it would be helpful to push this forward along with all the other things we need to do.”

This is what McCarthy’s announcement means in concrete terms

What came as a surprise was that McCarthy simply announced that he had “instructed” the relevant committees to investigate – rather than scheduling a vote on it in the House of Representatives. He had previously emphasized that a vote had to be taken in Parliament before investigations could begin.

American media reported that there were not enough votes among Republicans for the initiative. That’s why McCarthy continued alone. The reason: He could use this to appease right-wing hardliners in Congress. They have been calling for impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden for some time – probably as revenge for the same proceedings against ex-President Trump.

That’s why McCarthy is under so much pressure

McCarthy is in a very weak position. In January, as a result of an internal uprising, the Republican was only elevated to the most important post in the House of Representatives after fifteen rounds of voting. Several MPs from the right-wing fringe of the parliamentary group were asked to vote for him for a long time and have since expected concessions from him. They also introduced a clause that would make it easier for the chairman to be removed from office in case of doubt.

Right-wing parts of the group are putting pressure on McCarthy, not only on the impeachment issue, but also on the federal budget. Congress must approve the federal budget by the end of the month or government business will come to a standstill, a so-called shutdown.

Right-wing Republicans are calling for bigger cuts. If that doesn’t happen, they want to sabotage the approval of the budget. Matt Gaetz, considered a hardliner, renewed calls on Tuesday for further action from McCarthy in this regard. He also called the impeachment proceedings just a “baby step” and brazenly threatened to force a vote of no confidence against McCarthy.

This is how it continues now

In order to actually start impeachment proceedings against Biden after an investigation, a majority in the House of Representatives would be required. The Republicans have a slim majority there. But the faction is extremely fragmented and McCarthy has had great difficulty closing his own ranks since his inception.

Even if there were a majority in the House of Representatives, Ultimately, the Senate would have to decide on Biden’s possible impeachment. However, Biden’s Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate. It is therefore virtually impossible that the president will ultimately be removed from office. Theoretically, Republicans could simply continue the investigation well into the election year to continually produce unpleasant headlines for Biden — without forcing the process any further.

(lacquer/sda/dpa)