US President Joe Biden. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The American political landscape has lately been inundated with talk about investigations on both sides of the divide.
While Donald Trump awaits a third indictment, in a TV appearance on Fox News, House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy has also sounded alarm bells about the possibility of President Joe Biden’s impeachment over conjectural allegations of financial impropriety.
Such a tempest of legal entanglements portends stormy days ahead.
Although McCarthy has yet to overtly endorse Trump’s bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, observers detect a strategic manoeuvre in his recent actions.
Amid mounting GOP pressure to display allegiance to the former president, McCarthy has deftly broached the subject, ostensibly gauging the political winds and seeking to assuage the party faithful.
The 2024 presidential contest remains awash with intrigue and calculations as contenders vie for the mantle of Republican leadership.
“We’ve only followed where the information has taken us. But this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed,” said McCarthy in the TV interview.
McCarthy’s remarks bore an intentional tone. He invoked the accounts of two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers, who, he claimed, revealed a sluggish pace in investigating Biden’s son, Hunter, for alleged tax infractions.
McCarthy also drew attention to House GOP investigations, which purportedly unveiled a trail of foreign funds through shell companies to benefit Biden family members and associates.
With these charges resurfacing, controversy surrounding the Biden family gains fresh momentum.
Although he conceded that their investigations have yet to yield evidence of any misconduct, McCarthy underscored that an impeachment inquiry could provide Congress with the means to ascertain the truth.
Such an inquiry would mark the initial step towards possibly presenting articles of impeachment. The duration of the investigation remains at the discretion of the House, possibly extending its ramifications into the presidential campaign season.
Interestingly, McCarthy categorically refuted the reports suggesting that he might explore House votes to expunge Trump’s twin impeachments as a gesture of solidarity.
Furthermore, he refrained from specifying any timetable for initiating an impeachment inquiry into Biden and asserted that he had not had discussions with Trump on the matter.
Additionally, when pressed, he opted not to disclose any potential presidential endorsement. McCarthy is keeping his cards close.
White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, Ian Sams, tweeted in response to McCarthy’s comments: “Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the House GOP wants to prioritise. Their eagerness to go after POTUS [the president of the United States] regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless.”
Apparently, the White House is trying the same tactics of “smoking” the debate on this issue, which has the potential to seriously dent the credibility of Biden.
The corridors of Congress are witnessing a surge in Republican-led investigations targeting Joe and Hunter Biden. Focusing on the Biden family’s financial dealings, House Republicans are particularly scrutinising the payments that flowed to the younger Biden from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm ensnared in Trump’s initial impeachment proceedings.
In a recent development, Hunter struck an agreement with prosecutors, signalling his willingness to plead guilty to misdemeanour charges related to his failure to pay income taxes over several years.
The impending court case marks a pivotal moment that could hold significant implications for both the Biden administration and the political landscape at large.
As these investigations evolve, they shape the contours of an increasingly complex and charged political terrain.
Amid the political fray, Republicans are clinging to a once-discredited narrative that traces back to the first Trump impeachment and revolves around Burisma.
Citing recently surfaced details, an anonymous FBI informant alleges that in 2015 and 2016, Burisma executives contemplated offering $5 million apiece to the Bidens, ostensibly in exchange for their assistance in ousting a Ukrainian prosecutor who had the company in his sights.
The justice department, under the aegis of Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, launched an investigation into the informant’s assertions in 2020. But, after eight months, the inquiry was unable to substantiate any allegations of impropriety.
The persistence of this narrative, even in the face of official dismissal, indicates that Republicans are seriously trying to muffle the effect of Trump’s involvement in a series of investigations.
The likelihood looms large that McCarthy and Trump loyalists will set the wheels in motion for Biden’s impeachment in the coming days. Trump recently questioned on Fox News the absence of an impeachment process targeting Biden, prompting further intrigue and speculation.
Trump loyalists in Congress are exerting pressure on McCarthy, driven by two motives. First, a pursuit for President Biden’s impeachment aims to divert attention from ongoing investigations and potential indictments of Trump.
Second, such a move could undermine Biden and the Democrats, who still grapple with the question of a viable replacement in the event of his disqualification from the presidential elections.
The political stakes are high. Biden’s impeachment poses significant problems for McCarthy, given the lack of widespread support among moderate Republicans.
Even if the House were to impeach Biden, conviction in the 100-member Senate remains improbable, necessitating a two-thirds majority vote. With Democrats holding a 51-49 advantage in the Senate, the odds of a successful impeachment are almost impossible.
Republicans are well aware that the impeachment process won’t result in Biden’s removal, but that doesn’t deter them. Their primary objective now is to tarnish Biden’s image in preparation for the 2024 presidential contest.
By pushing ahead with the impeachment agenda, they seek to sow seeds of doubt and discredit his leadership, banking on the potential long-term political gains that could materialise from their strategic manoeuvring.
This calculated move underscores the high-stakes political game being played, where optics and narrative-building hold sway in shaping future electoral battles.
Dr Imran Khalid is a freelance columnist on international affairs, based in Karachi, Pakistan.