OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The United States House of Representatives voted earlier this month to formally authorize its investigation into President Joe Biden’s potential impeachment.
By a party-line vote of 221-212, the Republican-controlled chamber approved the investigation, which is looking into whether Biden improperly benefited from his 53-year-old son Hunter Biden’s international business dealings. Hunter Biden had earlier declined an invitation to testify behind closed doors.
Newly crowned House Speaker Mike Johnson recently spoke about the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, saying, “we have a responsibility to do it.”
“These are — these are serious times and this is a very serious matter. And I’ve said many times over the last few years, because impeachment has been an issue that we’ve all become all too familiar with, that next to the Declaration of War, you can make an argument that impeachment may be the heaviest power that Congress holds. That — that constitutional responsibility lies with the House,” Johnson began at a press conference.
“We — we have a duty to pursue the facts where they lead. John Adams famously said ‘Facts are stubborn things.’ And you heard the recitation of that here this morning. These facts are alarming. They’re alarming to the American people, they are alarming to us. And so while we take no pleasure in the — in the proceedings here, we have a responsibility to do it. We’re very proud of the work of these three chairmen that you’ve seen here, Chairman Comer, and Jordan and Smith,” Johnson added.
He continued: “They’ve done an exceptional job on uncovering the obvious corruption. And you’ve heard it here summarized this morning, very succinctly, President Biden and the Biden family. We — we owe it to the American people to continue this process, but to do it methodically, and transparently. Many of you know I was on — I’m a lawyer, I’m constitutional law attorney, I served on President Trump’s impeachment defense team twice. And we lament it openly, and we decried how the Democrats politicize that process, they were brazenly political, and how they — they brought those meritless impeachment charges against the — the president.”
“This what you’re seeing here is exactly the opposite. We are the rule of law team, the Republican Party stands for the rule of law. And the people in charge of this are doing this thoroughly, carefully and methodically. They’re investigating and gathering all the facts,” he said.
“And to do this appropriately, and to do it in a manner that upholds our constitutional responsibility, requires time, it requires a sound process. You don’t rush something like this. You can’t, if you’re going to have fidelity to the Constitution. These chairmen are committed to proceeding in that manner. And that’s what you’re seeing. We’ve — we’ve heard from whistleblowers, Biden business associates, legal experts and now we have reached the point in the investigation that we need to hear from a handful of really key witnesses in this,” Johnson stated.
Johnson continued, “The — the chairman have issued a — a few dozen subpoenas, and we expect that those would be complied with in an expeditious manner. We’re not prejudging this. We will follow the facts wherever they lead. Again, that’s our constitutional duty. And — and I fully support our chairmen in their efforts, and we’ll have a lot more to share on this in the days ahead. We’ll take a few questions.”
WATCH:
In September, during a House Freedom Caucus press conference, an incredulous Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) tore into a reporter who asked what evidence House Republicans had to begin the inquiry.
“What actual evidence do you have as opposed to allegations to show to the American public that would merit an actual impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden and prove that today isn’t just about some of you?” A reporter asked off-camera.
“Oh, I don’t know,” interjected Perry as the reporter went on to suggest Republicans were simply “enacting political revenge” after Democrats impeached then-President Donald Trump.
“This isn’t about political revenge. We have the bank accounts we can see, ma’am. You can see that the homes that the Bidens own can’t be afforded on a congressional or Senate salary. You also understand that it’s not normal for family members to receive millions of dollars from overseas interests,” Perry responded, growing increasingly animated and agitated.
“Those things aren’t normal. That’s not normal. We have 20 shell country companies; these things are not normal. And it alludes to not only widespread corruption but also money laundering, if not influence peddling itself,” he continued.
Sen. Ron Johnson, the leading Republican on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told Just the News last week that “banks filed at least six reports concerning Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings that flagged President Joe Biden’s home address in Delaware and raised concerns about possible criminal activity involving money laundering or human trafficking,” the outlet reported.
He also said “that the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARS) chronicled about $12 million in transactions over several years, some of which passed through Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Del., home where he had allowed his son to stay,” the outlet noted further.
Johnson asserted that Joe Biden would likely have been aware that his son was utilizing his home as a business and banking address, if for no other reason than postal mail arriving at the location.
He further contended that House impeachment investigators have ample grounds to inquire into Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s foreign dealings.
